THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

THE NATURAL HISTORY
OF SOUTH AFRICA

Frontispiece.

THE NATURAL HISTORY
OF SOUTH AFRICA

INCLUDING CIVETS, GENETS, MUNGOOSES, MEERKATS

EARTH WOLVES, HYJENAS, JACKALS, FOXES

WILD DOGS, OTTERS, HONEY RATELS

MUISHONDS, AND SEA LIONS

BY

F. W. FITZSIMONS, F.Z.S., F.R.M.S., &c.

DIRECTOR, PORT ELIZABETH MUSEUM

MAMMALS

IN FOUR VOLUMES
VOL. II

LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO.

39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, E.G. 4

FOURTH AVENUE AND 3OTH STREET, NEW YORK
BOMBAY, CALCUTTA, AND MADRAS

All Rights Reserved

56

SYSTEMATIC INDEX

OF THE ANIMALS IN VOLUME II

Order : CARNIVORA
Sub-order : Fissipedia
Division : ^ELUROIDEA
Family : VIVERRID./E
Genus : Viverra

PAGE

i. Viverra civetta, Schreb. Civet Cat . . . I

Genus : Genetta

1. Genetta tigrina, Schreb. Large-spotted Genet . 9

2. Genetta felina, Thunb. Small-spotted Genet . . II

3. Genetta India, Thos. and Schw. Senegal Genet.

(Genetta senegalensis of Sclater) . . .11

4. Genetta rubiginosa, Puch. (Genetta letaba of Thos.

and Schw.) Rusty -spotted Genet . . .12

Genus : Mungos

1. Mungos cafer, Gmel. (Herpestes of Sclater.) Large

Grey Mungoose, Black-tailed Mungoose, Kafir
Mungoose, Kommetje-gat-kat . . . .21

2. Mungos caaui, A. Smith. (Herpestes gracilis of

Sclater) 23

3. Mungos caaui swinnyi, Roberts .... 24

4. Mungos ratlamuchi, A. Smith. (Herpestes gracilis

badius of Sclater) ...... 24

5. Mungos auratus, Thos. and Wroughton.

6. Mungos paludinosus typicus, G. Cuv. (Herpestes

galera of Sclater.) Water Mungoose, Zwart
Muishond 26

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

PACK

7. Mungos paludinosus rubellus,-Thos. and Wrought.

(Sub-species of No. 6) . . . -33

8. Mungos pulverulentus, Wagn. Small Grey Mungoose,

Grijse Muishond, Pepper and Salt Cat . . 33

9. Mungos punctatissimus, Temm. Pale Mungoose . 39

10. Mungos grandis, Thos.

11. Mungos albicanda, Cuv. White-tailed Mungoose . 40

12. Mungos ruddi, Thos.

13. Mungos Ignitus, Roberts.

Genus : Helogale

1. Helogale parvula, Sund. Wahlberg's Mungoose . 43

2. Helogale brunnula, Thos. and Schw. ... 43

Genus : Rhynchogale
i. Rhynchogale melleri, Grey. Smooth-nosed Mungoose 43

Genus : Crossarchus

1. Crossarchus fasciatus typicus, Desm. Banded Mun-

goose 44

2. Crossarchus fasciatus senescens, Thos. and Wrought.

(Sub-species of No. i) . . . . .47

Genus : Cynictis

1. Cynictis penicillata typica, Cuv. Bushy- tailed Meer-

kat 48

2. Cynictis penicillata intensa, Schw. (Sub-species) . 56

3. Cynictis penicillata steedmanni, Ogil. (Sub-species) . 56

4. Cynictis penicillata ogilbyi, A. Smith. (Sub-species) 56

5. Cynictis penicillata pallidior, Thos. and Schw. (Sub-

species) 56

6. Cynictis penicillata leptura, Smith. (Sub-species) . 56

7. Cynictis selousi, de Wint. Selous' Meerkat . . 56

Genus : Bdeogale

1. Bdeogale crassicauda, Pet. East African Bushy-

tailed Meerkat ...... 57

2. Bdeogale tenuis, Thomas and Wroughton.

SYSTEMATIC INDEX

PACK

Genus : Suricata

1. Suricata suricatta typica, Erxl. (Suricata tetradactyla

of Sclater.) Slender-tailed Meerkat ... 57

2. Suricata suricatta namaquensis , Thos. and Schw. . 63

3. Suricata suricatta hamiltoni, Thos. and Schw. . 63

4. Suricata suricatta lophurus, Thos. and Schw. (Nos. 2,

3, and 4 are sub-species) ..... 63

Family : PROTELID.S:
Genus : Proteles
i. Proteles cristatus, Sparrm. Earth Wolf, Aard Wolf,

Manhaar Jakhals, Grey Jackal ... 64

Family

Genus : Hycena

1. Hycena brunnea, Thunb. Brown Hyaena or Strand

Wolf 78

2. HycBna crocuta, Erxl. Spotted Hyaena, Tiger Wolf 81

Division : CYNOIDEA
Family : CANID^E
Genus : Canis

1. Canis mesomelas, Schreb. Black-backed Jackal,

Cape Jackal ....... 92

2. Canis adustus, Sund. Side-striped Jackal . . 107

Genus : Vulpes
i. Vulpes chama, A. Smith. Silver Fox, Vaal Jakhals . no

Genus : Otocyon

i. Otocyon megalotis, Desm. Delalande's Fox, Desert

Fox 114

vii

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

PAGE

Genus : Lycaon

1 . Lycaon pictus venaticus, Burch. Cape Hunting Dog,

Wilde Honde ....... 119

2. Lycaon pictus zuluensis, Thos. (Sub-species — local

race) . . . . . . . 130

Division : ARCTOIDEA
Family : MUSTELIDJE
Genus : A onyx
I. Aonyx capensis, Schinz. (Lutra capensis of Sclater.)

Cape or Clawless Otter . . . . 131

Genus : Lutra

i. Lutra maculicollis, Licht. Spotted-neck or Web-
footed Otter . . . . . . .139

Genus : Mellivora
i. Mellivora ratel, Sparr. Honey Ratel . . . 142

Genus : Ictonyx
i. Ictonyx capensis, Kaup. (Zorilla striata of Sclater.)

Pole Cat, Stink Muishond, Striped Muishond . 163

Genus : Pcecilogale
i. Poecilogale albinucha, Gray. Snake Muishond . 177

Sub-order : Pinnepedia
Family : OTARIID^E
Genus : Arctocephalus
i. Arctocephalus pusillus, Schreb. Cape Sea Lion,

Robbe, Cape Seal 180

Vlll

ILLUSTRATIONS

1. THE CIVET CAT .... Frontispiece

2. A GENET ABOUT TO SPRING AT A

LOURIE . . . . .To face page 4

3. THE LARGE-SPOTTED GENET . „ 6

4. THE SMALL-SPOTTED GENET . „ n

5. THE SMALL GREY MUNGOOSE ATTACK-

ING A RINGHALS COBRA . . ,, 13

6. MIMOSA THORNS .... ,, 19

7. THE LARGE GREY MUNGOOSE . . „ 22

8. THE WATER MUNGOOSE ... ,,27

9. A PAIR OF WATER MUNGOOSES AND

THEIR LITTLE FAMILY ... „ 30

10. THE SMALL GREY MUNGOOSE . ,, 33

11. A PAIR OF SMALL GREY MUNGOOSES

WITH YOUNG .... ,, 36

12. THE SKULL OF THE SMALL GREY MUN-

GOOSE ..... ,, 39

13. THE WHITE-TAILED MUNGOOSE ; THE

WHITE-TAILED MUNGOOSE, SHOW-
ING ITS LONG, BUSHY WHITE TAIL ,, 42

14. THE BANDED MUNGOOSE ... ,, 45

15. THE BUSHY-TAILED MEERKAT . ,, 48

1 6. LIFE-HISTORY OF TERMITES . . page 54

17. A PAIR OF BUSHY-TAILED MEERKATS To face page 55.

ix

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

18. A PAIR OF SLENDER-TAILED MEERKATS

AND THEIR YOUNG ONES . . To fdCg Page 58

19. BILLY THE MEERKAT ; THE SKULL

AND TEETH OF A SLENDER-TAILED

MEERKAT ..... „ 60

20. A FAMILY OF AARD WOLVES OR MAN-

HAAR JAKHALS .... „ 64

21. AN AARD WOLF ABOUT HALF-GROWN . ,, 67

22. THE JAWS OF AN AARD WOLF; THE

JAWS OF A CAPE JACKAL . . ,,72

23. THE BROWN HY^NA ... ,,78

24. THE SPOTTED HYAENA ... „ 81

25. THE SKULL OF THE SPOTTED HYAENA „ 85

26. SPOTTED HY^NA (YOUNG SPECIMEN) „ 88

27. A BLACK-BACKED JACKAL AND ONE OF

A LITTER OF FIVE PUPPIES . „ 92

28. A CAPE JACKAL EMERGING FROM COVER ,, 94

29. THE SKULL OF A BLACK-BACKED JACKAL ,, 97

30. THE BLACK-BACKED JACKAL . . „ 102

31. THE SILVER Fox .... „ 112

32. DELALANDE'S Fox .... „ 114

33. SKULL OF DELALANDE'S Fox . . „ 117

34. THE CAPE HUNTING DOG ... ,, 124

35. THE SKULL OF A CAPE HUNTING DOG „ 127

36. A CAPE HUNTING DOG ON THE WATCH

FOR A MEAL .... „ 129

37. A CAPE HUNTING DOG DEVOURING A

BUSH BUCK RAM ... „ 130

38. THE CAPE OR CLAWLESS OTTER . „ 132

39. SKULL OF THE CLAWLESS OTTER . „ 134

40. Two SPOTTED-NECKED OTTERS . . „ 141

41. THE HONEY RATEL . . . . ,, 144

x

ILLUSTRATIONS

42. JEANNIE, THE LIVE RATEL AT THE

PORT ELIZABETH MUSEUM; AN

ALBINO HONEY RATEL . . To face page 154

43. A STRIPED MUISHOND ... „ 165

44. THE LIFE-SIZE HEAD OF A STRIPED

MUISHOND; A PAIR OF BABY
STRIPED MUISHONDS IN A MAN'S
HAND ..... „ 172

45. THE SNAKE MUISIIOND ... „ 178

46. A GROUP OF SEA LIONS ... „ 180

47. YOUNG CAPE SEALS ON THE ROCKS AT

ALGOA BAY .... „ 183

48. Two BABY SEA LIONS WHICH WERE

CAST UP ALIVE IN ALGOA BAY . l86

THE NATURAL HISTORY OF
SOUTH AFRICA

THE CIVET CAT

(yiverra civetta)

Also known as the Lisisi of the Basutos ; Mpicamadhloti of
Swazis (Kir by)

THE Civet is not at all well known in South Africa,
for the reason that, although it is common in the
tropical portion of Africa, it only extends as far
south as Mashonaland and the eastern part of the
Transvaal. It is a shy secretive animal like the
mungoose, and is nocturnal, except in the wild se-
cluded districts, where it occasionally may be met
with on dull cloudy days, or late in the afternoon —
usually about sunset. It haunts the bush-veld,
wooded hillsides, and kloofs. On the least cause
for alarm it creeps noiselessly into the under-
growth and vanishes from view. It is usually
hunted by dogs from its bushy retreats, and is
then easily captured or killed.

VOL. II I I

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

The food of the Civet Cat consists of small
animals, birds, reptiles, and insects.

Man cannot tolerate this cat in his neighbour-
hood, for it takes every opportunity of destroying
and devouring his poultry, often killing a dozen in
a single night, like its bloodthirsty cousins the
muishonds, weasels, and wild cats.

The Civet Cat is particularly interesting for the
reason that it is the animal which supplies the sub-
stance known as " civet," which is secreted by two
glands situated at the base of, and under, the tail.
This substance is the well-known civet which was
formerly in great demand as a perfume. It is,
however, not used at the present time to any con-
siderable extent in Europe.

In the tropical parts of Africa the natives
capture these Civet Cats and confine them in cages,
or tie them up by passing a ring through the nose.
At regular intervals the perfume-secreting glands
are emptied of their contents. This is subsequently
bartered to Arab and other traders.

The African Civet Cat is a little over four feet
in length from the nose to the tip of the tail. The
body is flattened at the sides ; the limbs are short,
and the feet small and rounded. General colour
of the hair brownish-grey, covered with dark streaks
and blotches, which on the front parts of the body
tend to form transverse lines. The ears are broad,
short, and rounded, black at the bases, and white at
the tips. Along the back from between the ears to the

THE CIVET CAT

base of the tail the hair is long, forming a crest. The
tail from the root half way along is ringed with
white. These rings are interrupted by a black band
running along the upper part of the tail. The tail
towards the tip is quite black.

In the wilder parts of the country, away from
the habitations of man, the Civet Cat fulfils its
mission in life by checking the too rapid increase of
various animals, including such pests as venomous
snakes, rats, mice, locusts, and a variety of insects
more or less noxious to mankind.

The Swazis call this animal the Mpicamadbloti,
which means " that which puzzles spirits." This
is evidently because of its shy and secretive habits,
which are supposed to baffle even the powers of a
spirit to find it.

THE GENET

Also known as the Musk-kat or Misselyat-kat ; Insimba
of Swazis and Zulus (Kirby) ; Inywagi of Amaxosa
(Stanford) ; Tshipa of Basutos (Kirby)

THE Genet is one of the cat family of animals, and
in South Africa its nearest relations are the Civets
and the Mungooses.

Genets are nocturnal, except in the more secluded
districts, where they may often be surprised during
the daytime in the act of hunting for prey in the
shades of the forest or in secluded gloomy kloofs.

Their favourite haunts are the bush-veld, scrub-
covered hillsides, kloofs, and forests. During the
day they lie concealed in the midst of thick tangled
undergrowth, rank matted grass, extended full
length along the branch of a tree or in a hollow in
the interior of the trunk. Now and then they are
found in rock crevices, or down holes excavated by
other animals, and which the original occupants
have abandoned.

The genet is silent and secretive, in the extreme,
in its ways. Its body is long and slender, and its
legs are comparatively short, and when stalking its
prey its nose is thrust forward, the body elongated

4

THE GENET

to its fullest stretch, and the long tail held straight
out along the ground behind. Creeping silently
along in this attitude, with abdomen almost touching
the ground, it has at first sight the appearance of a
snake.

The food of the genet consists of any creature
which it may be able to overpower, such for instance
as hares, dassies, rats, mice, birds, their nestlings
and eggs, as well as sundry lizards, snakes, eggs, and
insects. In captivity they thrive best on a meat
diet. In the vicinity of the stock farmer these
genets are apt to become a pest, owing to their
fondness for poultry. The head and body of the
genet being so slender, it is able to squeeze through
comparatively small holes. Where the head can
go, the body can follow.

During my sojourn on a Dutch friend's farm we
were, one morning, startled during breakfast by the
excited ejaculations of a coloured servant woman.
In a most excited way she related that when she
was feeding the fowls she saw the remains of half
a dozen hens on the floor, and on going into the
fowl-house to investigate more closely, something
hissed loudly and fiercely. She declared it was a
huge snake. Arming ourselves with sticks, we pro-
ceeded to the fowl-house, and a glance showed us
that some creature other than a snake had been
there during the night, for the partially-devoured
bodies of six fowls were ample evidence of the fact.

We stepped inside, carefully closing the door
5

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

behind us. Peering into a nesting-box we were
greeted with a succession of fierce hisses, and then
an evil-smelling musky odour permeated the air.
We at once recognised this as the fluid excreted by
the genet. When this animal is brought to bay
it excretes a viscid yellow fluid which is manufac-
tured by a pair of glands under, and at the root of,
the tail. This fluid is a negative weapon of defence,
for the odour is so nauseating that most animals go
off in disgust and leave the genet in peace.

Kicking the nesting box at the back, a pair oi
genets crept swiftly out and dashed for a small
hole in the wall, through which they made frantic
endavours to pass. One managed* to get its body
jammed half way through, but could proceed no
further, and my friend, stepping quickly forward,
killed the animal, and presently did likewise with the
other. It seems the hole through which the genets
obtained entry into the fowl-house was just about
sufficiently large to admit of their bodies, containing
empty stomachs, to glide through ; but after dining
not wisely but too well, their stomachs were too
distended to allow of them again passing through
the hole ; and so, finding themselves trapped, they
sought out the darkest corner to await a reduction
of their girth.

When chased from its lair by dogs and brought
to bay, the genet seeks to intimidate its foes by
hissing, erecting its fur, and discharging its vile-
smelling secretion. When attempts are made to
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THE GENET

seize it, the genet, however, fights fiercely with
teeth and claws. The saliva of this animal appar-
ently possesses some poisonous property, but this
has not been satisfactorily demonstrated.

Several cases have been reported of men dying
two or three weeks after being bitten by genets.
In these instances it is stated that after being se-
verely bitten on the hand or arm by a genet, the
wounds healed satisfactorily, but subsequently
violent and sharp pains radiated up the arm from
the site of the bite into the shoulder, followed later
by symptoms which seemed to resemble hydro-
phobia more or less. However, be this as it may,
the fact should be recognised that wounds caused
by the bites of enraged animals are particularly
liable to become inflamed and set up a condition
of blood-poisoning.

Therefore all such bites should be treated as
poisoned wounds. If the wounds are slits, scratches,
or gashes, then the cleansing and disinfecting pro-
cess is simple, for in these instances they need only
be thoroughly washed with a solution of perman-
ganate of potash and afterwards liberally dusted
over with boracic acid powder and bandaged. If,
however, the wounds are deep punctures made by
the canine teeth of an animal, they should be thor-
oughly syringed to the bottom with a weak solution
of permanganate of potash or Condy's fluid. This
can be done with an ordinary glass syringe.

When captured adult, the genet never loses
7

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

its shyness, and is always more or less suspicious,
even to those who feed it, and although after a long
time it will allow itself to be stroked by its keeper,
it is apt to bite without giving any warning. When
taken into captivity in the kittenhood stage and
kindly and gently treated and frequently handled,
the genet will grow up as tame as any domestic
cat. In fact, it is a common practice in the south
of Europe for the peasants to keep tame genets in
their houses instead of cats to destroy rats and
mice. The genet can squeeze its body through
comparatively small holes and crevices owing not
only to its body being slender, but to the fact that
its flesh, skin, and joints are so loose that they flatten
and bend and offer little resistance when the animal
desires to elongate itself.

We kept a live genet in the Port Elizabeth
Museum, and one night it escaped. The following
day the entire museum was searched without suc-
cess. Every crevice and corner into which it was
considered the genet might possibly have squeezed
was probed. A few days later a friend happened
to come to see me, and trotting behind him was a
terrier dog. Suddenly the terrier became excited
and began to snap and bark, sniffing at a crevice
between a glass case and a side wall. Listening
carefully we heard the genet hiss, and an assistant,
getting on the top of the case, saw the animal
lying hidden between the wall and the back of the
glass showcase. The crevice through which it had

THE GENET

crept was so absurdly narrow that it seemed an
utter impossibility for the genet to have pushed
through it. When we killed the creature we failed
utterly to push even a small portion of its body into
this crevice. The head we managed to force in
sideways, but the body wedged the aperture most
effectually ; yet this genet had passed through the
crevice several times, for traces of its presence were
seen nightly on the museum floor, and the ration
of meat left each evening had disappeared.

Genets inhabit the whole of Africa, and although
one species which is found in Northern Africa ex-
tends into Spain, the South of France, and South-
western Asia, the real home of the Genets is in
Africa. In South Africa we have four kinds. They
are as follows :

THE LARGE-SPOTTED GENET
(Genetta tigrina)

This species of Genet is found throughout South
Africa in all situations which afford cover. It
ranges beyond the Zambesi to Somaliland and
Abyssinia. In fact, it is common all over Africa
in the bush-veld, forests, and kloofs.

Several specimens of this species have been ob-
tained hi the neighbourhood of Port Elizabeth.
It, however, is seldom seen, owing to its cunning,
secretive, and silent ways, and the fact that it lies
9

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

securely concealed by day and only issues forth in
search of food by night.

This genet, when standing fully upright with
legs straightened, is about eight inches in height
at the shoulder. Its low stature is owing to the
extreme shortness of its legs in comparison with
its body, which measures two feet from the nose
to the root of the tail, and the latter is eighteen
inches in length. The body colour of the animal
is grey, with a slight yellow tinge ; a black stripe
extends down the centre of the back from the
shoulder to the root of the tail ; the neck and
shoulders are more or less marked and striped with
black ; the body is covered with squarish spots,
the larger of which are over an inch in diameter,
arranged in three rows running longitudinally.
The long tail is ringed black and white, the black
rings being the broader. The distinguishing dif-
ference between the Large-spotted Genet and the
Small-spotted species is stated to be that in the
former the tail tip is black, and in the latter it is
white. This is by no means a constant guide, for
several specimens of the Small-spotted Genet from
the eastern part of the Cape Province which I have
examined, have the tip of the tail black. The
Large-spotted Genet, however, as its name implies,
can easily be distinguished from the others because
of the comparative largeness of the black body-spots,
which are arranged in three irregular rows.

10

THE GENET

THE SMALL-SPOTTED GENET
(Genetta felina)

This species of genet is common throughout
the Cape Province, and has been recorded as far
north as Angola. Considerable numbers have been
killed or captured in the eastern part of the Cape
Province within the last few years. In the neigh-
bourhood of Port Elizabeth over a dozen have been
shot or trapped within the past couple of years and
sent to the museum.

The Small-spotted Genet can be identified by
its spots being smaller than those in the preceding
species, and instead of being in three rows, as in
the Large-spotted Genet, the black spots are in
five and sometimes six irregular rows. The tip of
the tail is stated to be white, but this is not con-
stant. In some it is white, in others black. The
difference between the two species is not recog-
nised by colonists, and both are known as the Musk-
kat or Misselyat-kat.

THE SENEGAL GENET
(Genetta India — senegalensis of Sclater)

The Senegal Genet is an inhabitant of the

western portion of Africa, and has been found as

far south as the Kalahari; therefore it is included
II

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

among the animals inhabiting Africa south of the
Zambesi and Cunene Rivers. It resembles the
Small-spotted Genet, but instead of the spots
being black as in the latter, they are of a rusty
brown colour.

RUSTY-SPOTTED GENET
(Genetta rubiginosa)

This species of genet was originally recorded
from the vicinity of Cape Town, and has since
been found to occur as far north as Angola. It
must be common in Bechuanaland, as its skin is
often found in karosses made in that country by
the natives. Karosses are rugs made of the softened
skins of animals with the hair left on. This species
of genet can be distinguished by its body and legs
being greyish-white with a red tinge. The stripe
down the ridge of the back, and the spots on the
body, are brick-red, except the lowest row, which
are blackish. The tail at the root has usually four
reddish rings, followed by four or five black ones.
The tail tip is black for a greater length than in
any of the other species. This black tip is formed
by two or three of the black rings merging together.

The four species of Genets are of the same average
size.

12

THE MUNGOOSE

THESE curious civet-like animals were formerly
known as ichneumons. The first species which
came under the notice of naturalists was the Egyp-
tian ichneumon, otherwise called Pharaoh's Rat.
It was a familiar animal to the ancient Egyptians
four thousand and more years ago, and was held
sacred by them. Its form may be seen depicted
on their frescoes.

However, when many other species or kinds of
ichneumons were discovered it was decided to
abandon the name ichneumon and substitute Mun-
goose, which is the native Indian name for a species
inhabiting India. The true mungooses all have
long, tapering bodies and tails, and their faces are
acutely pointed. There are a large number of kinds
of these animals. They inhabit nearly the whole
of Africa and extend into Spain, and eastwards
through the southern parts of Asia. The habits
and ways of the various species differ but little.
They are all cunning and secretive, yet bold and
predaceous, preying upon small animals, birds,
reptiles, and insects. When hard pressed for food
they resort to berries, fruits, roots, herbs, &c.
13

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

Although they, at times, ascend trees when the
trunks are sufficiently sloping, the mungooses are
terrestrial by habit. I have frequently seen them
spring from the ground on to low branches and run
along them in the most active and confident manner,
seeking for birds' nests, tree lizards, and caterpillars.
The claws of the mungoose are not sharp, and the
pads of the feet are not provided with any powers
of suction as is the case with the Tree Dassie (Pro-
cavia arborea) ; therefore they are unable to climb
perpendicular trunks of trees.

A great deal has been written about the combats
of mungooses with venomous snakes, and the im-
munity of these animals to the venom of snakes.
I had occasion to experiment upon certain of the
South African species with snake venom, and found
that they were not immune, as generally supposed.
However, like most of the cat-tribe of animals,
they are very tenacious of life, and the venom always
took much longer to kill them than was the case
with most other animals of the same size. For
instance, a rabbit twice the size of a mungoose
(Mungos pulverulentus) after the subcutaneous in-
jection of Cape Cobra venom died in fifteen minutes.
The mungoose, on the contrary, after the injection
of a similar dose showed symptoms of poisoning,
but recovered. The mistake which most experi-
menters fall into is that they gauge the dosage of
venom according to the weight of the animal,
under the supposition that it produces certain

THE MUNGOOSE

effects per pound of weight, or, as it is usually reck-
oned, per kilogram. This is not a true guide, as
the various species of animals differ considerably
in their natural inherent powers of resistance to
snake venom. The domestic cat or mungcose, for
instance, can survive a dosage of venom which would
kill any rabbit, fowl, turkey, or goose.

All the species of mungooses are determined ene-
mies of snakes. In fact, they constitute the chief
enemies of these noxious reptiles. They not only
boldly attack and destroy adult snakes, but they
also prey largely on their young and eggs. The
latter are devoured in large numbers, as their
whereabouts is easily discovered by the mungoose,
whose powers of scent are acute.

There are several kinds of mungooses in South
Africa. The average farmer shoots them at sight,
and if asked why he does this, he replies that they
are poultry thieves. The sportsman is also a sworn
enemy of the mungoose, because it levies toll upon
game birds, their eggs, young, and small game
animals such as hares. Now, let us reason the
matter out. A farmer, finding that one or more
mungooses in his neighbourhood are in the habit
of stealing his eggs and chickens, is justly indignant,
and regards the mungoose as an enemy. In this
instance he is perfectly justified in hunting them
down with dogs or otherwise destroying them.
Indeed, if he did not he would be a very careless
and easy-going man.

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

It must be carefully borne in mind that there
are comparatively few of our animal friends which
are not, under certain circumstances, harmful to
us. The mungoose is a carnivorous animal, and
whatever is good for food in its neighbourhood is
commandeered.

However, even when living in proximity to man,
the mungoose, as a rule, does comparatively little
mischief, for it is timid and shy, and has a whole-
some dread of the human animal and his dogs.
When pressed by hunger it becomes increasingly
bold, and will, under cover of darkness, steal into
the fowl roosts and play havoc with the poultry.
The sportsman is an enemy to the mungoose for
the reason that it preys at times on small game
birds and game animals. From an economic point
of view the sportsman's grievance against the
mungoose does not count for much. It is true
most species of game birds perform a service to
man in devouring noxious insects and seeds of
weeds, and the mungoose is one of the natural
enemies of these birds for the purpose of keeping
them from multiplying unduly and becoming a
plague to man, for most of the species of game
birds also devour with avidity the seeds sown by
the farmer, as well as his ripening corn, besides
eating off the tender plants as they push their heads
above ground. The hare, if allowed to unduly
increase in numbers, would become a decided pest.
It renders man no service at all. On the contrary,
16

THE MUNGOOSE

it devours his crops and pasturage. Therefore it
must be admitted the sportsman's antipathy to the
mungoose is a selfish one, for the creatures which
he seeks to reserve the sole right of killing are, with
but few exceptions, not only of no economic value,
but are a decided hindrance to the agriculturalist
and stock farmer. In South Africa we have little
or no pasturage to spare for the maintenance of
wild animals useless to man. What is not required
for the grazing of stock is urgently needed to clothe
the veld and hills, to suck up the rain and prevent
it carrying the fertile soil with it into the river beds,
and eventually to the sea. In various indirect ways
vegetation affects the rainfall, and in a country like
that of South Africa, suffering from a chronic con-
dition of thirst over at least one-half of its area, the
matter of the conservation of water and vegetation
is important.

Mungooses in their native haunts, away from
the vicinity of man, do a small amount of harm in
occasionally eating the eggs and young of useful
insectivorous birds which build their nests on the
ground or in low bushes. This, however, is a thou-
sand times compensated for by the mungoose, as
it devours the creatures which are inveterate ene-
mies of bird life. Mice, rats, and snakes, which
destroy vast numbers of the eggs and young of use-
ful birds, are killed and eaten by the mungoose.
The nests of birds are perfectly safe from the mun-
goose when they are in trees, steep banks, and in
VOL. ii 17 2

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

the sides of kloofs ; but the rat is an excellent
climber, and few bird's nests are safe from its at-
tacks. Again, the tree snake's diet is principally
the eggs and young of birds, and if these species
of snakes should be allowed to increase unduly in
numbers, the insectivorous birds, which are abso-
lutely essential in the economy of Nature, would
become almost extinct. The mungoose, it is true,
cannot pursue these snakes in their haunts among
the branches of trees, but it seeks out and devours
the eggs, which are usually deposited in crevices
amongst the roots of trees, under decaying leaves,
or brushwood, or in holes. Not a few of these
destructive tree snakes fall victims to the mungoose
when they descend to the ground, as they frequently
do in search of food, or to bask in the sun's warm
rays, and to absorb the heat from the sun-baked
earth. Mice and rats, however, constitute the
mainstay of the diet of the mungoose, and it should
be borne in mind that there are a considerable
number of species of rats and mice native to this
country, as well as otherswhich have been introduced,
such as the common barn rat and house mouse.
Rats and mice rear several families annually, con-
sisting of from five to ten at a brood. They begin
breeding at an early age, and the progeny of a single
pair of rats in a few years, if allowed to breed un-
checked, would amount to many millions. Rats
and mice have no redeeming qualities, so far as man
is concerned. True, they eat insects at times, but
18

Mimosa Thorns.

The typical native bush of South Africa is commonly known as
the Mimosa. It sometimes grows in isolated situations, but
more usually in clusters and dense thickets. Every twig is
armed with sharp-pointed thorns from an inch to three inches
long. They stand out at all angles. Such thickets afford the
finest of cover for the mungoose and a host of other animals.

THE MUNGOOSE

the majority of these are beneficial to man, for they
are the carnivorous beetles which prey upon a
variety of insect pests. The staple food of rats
and mice is various kinds of vegetable substances.
Standing crops are ravaged, and when the grain is
stored away they voraciously attack and devour it.
Young, tender plants are eaten off, the bark of fruit
trees gnawed, and the buds, flowers, and fruit eaten.
Chickens, the young of domestic pigeons, and even
baby ostriches are attacked and killed ; and barns
and dwelling-houses are overrun with these de-
structive rodents ; and infectious diseases are
spread by them. Bubonic plague, we know, is
spread by a flea which lives upon the rat, and which
obtains the bacteria which cause the disease from
the blood of its host. Enteric fever is another
deadly disease which is spread about the community
by rats which devour the infected material and get
their bodies smothered with the microbes of the
disease.

Some species of rats and mice do not haunt the
homesteads of man ; they live in the bush-veld,
karoo and grass-veld, but even there they do much
mischief in eating up useful vegetation and de-
vouring vast quantities of seeds which would have
otherwise grown into plants to nourish the flocks
and herds of the farmer, in addition to the eggs
and young of birds and useful carnivorous beetles.

Then, again, we in South Africa are subject to
periodic plagues of migratory locusts which invade

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

our lands in countless swarms. These locusts are
dainty food for the mungooses, and while they are
plentiful they live almost exclusively on them.
Mungooses which I kept in captivity in Natal
preferred locusts to any other form of diet. Swarms
of injurious caterpillars, termites, and other crea-
tures which are a pest to man are swept out of
existence by the mungoose. Thus does the active
and alert mungoose render the most valuable of
services to the human race, and it therefore be-
hoves us to exercise the greatest of discretion in
the destruction of this animal friend, which may
at times forfeit its right to live by reason of its
occasional depredations in the poultry yard. When
the mungoose becomes a poultry thief then by all
means destroy it ; but when it is met with out in
its native habitat away from the abode of man,
then leave it alone, else the balance of Nature may
be upset, and retribution may fall upon the de-
stroyer. The sportsman farmer who keeps no
small stock such as poultry, but who desires to
encourage the breeding of game birds on his estate,
is quite justified in destroying the mungooses on
his land, but he has no moral right to publicly
proclaim this little animal to be a pest and a nuisance
to man generally.

20

THE MUNGOOSE

THE LARGE GREY MUNGOOSE

(Mungos cafer)
Syn. : Herpestes cafer

Also known as the Grijse Muishond ; Kommctje-gat-kat ;
Black-tailed Mungoose ; Kafir Mungoose ; Umvuzi of
Amaxosa ; Mvunti of Swazis.

The Large Grey Mungoose is so called because
it is of comparatively large size, and is speckled,
the predominating hue being grey. This mun-
goose inhabits Africa from the Cape to the southern
borders of the Sahara. It is found in all parts of
South Africa, but is nowhere actually abundant.
It is most frequently met with in the more or less
wooded districts where the rainfall is plentiful,
which is mainly on the eastern side of South Africa.
In Natal I often saw it in my wanderings in the
bush- veld. For the twelve years I was at the
Natal Museum we received an average of five or
six annually from the districts around Pietermar-
itzburg.

It is a shy and secretive animal, hiding as a rule
by day and venturing forth at sundown and during
the night. In quiet, secluded localities it ventures
forth at all times of the day, but in the vicinity of
man it is strictly nocturnal, for it has a wholesome
fear not only of him, but his dogs. Its favourite
hiding-places are clefts and crannies in rocks, down
the deserted burrows of other animals, and in dense

21

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

thickets. A favourite lair is in the midst of a dense
thorny mass of scrub. This mungoose is easily
hunted out of its lair by terrier dogs and killed.
When attacked and overtaken by. dogs it seeks to
intimidate them by snapping and giving vent to
a hissing, spitting sort of growl. It offers a very
feeble resistance, and can easily be killed by an
experienced fox terrier.

I have frequently seen these mungooses, either
singly or in pairs. They usually haunt the bush-
veld, rocky shrub-covered hillsides, and margins
of forests. They were, at one time, common in a
dense but small native forest known as the Town
Bush, near Pietermaritzburg, from the cover of
which they issued forth on moonlight nights or at
dawn, and levied a heavy toll on the poultry of the
residents of the Town Bush Valley. v

The hair on the back of this species of mungoose
is rather long, and when alarmed the animal erects
it, which gives it the appearance of being double
its actual size. Many species of animals, including
our domestic cat, have the power of erecting the
fur of their backs and tails for the purpose of in-
timidating enemies, by appearing to be more for-
midable than they in reality are. The fur of the
Grey Mungoose is short on the head, but gradually
gets longer towards the tail, where it is about four
inches in length. The colour at a first glance is
grey, but on close inspection it will be noticed that
each hair is narrowly ringed black and white, which

22

THE MUNGOOSE

gives the animal its grey appearance. The nose
and face up to the eyes are black ; the limbs are dark,
growing blacker towards the toes, which are nearly
black. The tail is long and tapering, the hairs of
which are long at the root, but gradually grow
shorter towards the tip, which is provided with a
brush of long black hairs, giving rise to the name
of Black-tailed Mungoose, by which it is known to
many colonists. The black tuft on the end of the
tail, and the large size of the animal, serve to dis-
tinguish it from all others of its kind in South
Africa. There is another mungoose of equal size,
but its tail tip is white, and it cannot therefore be
confused with this species.

The average length of the Large Grey Mungoose
from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail is
about two feet, and the tail eighteen inches.

THE SLENDER MUNGOOSE

(Mungos caaui)
Syn. : Herpestes gracilis

The Slender Mungoose varies a good deal in
colour, which fact caused it in the past to be
divided into two or three sub-species. It is found in
the eastern parts of the Cape Province, Pondoland,
Natal, and northwards to Abyssinia and Cape
Verde. It evidently does not occur to any great
extent in the eastern part of the Cape Province,
as it is quite unknown at Port Elizabeth, and we
23

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

so far have failed to obtain even a single specimen
from any of the districts in this neighbourhood.

The Slender Mungoose is nowhere common in
South Africa. I have occasionally met with it in
the thorny scrub in rocky situations near Pieter-
maritzburg and Howick, in Natal, and in the eastern
part of the Transvaal.

As its name implies, this mungoose is slender
in shape, and it is also small in size. The prevailing
colour is greyish-brown with a yellow tinge. Each
hair is annulated, or narrowly ringed black and red-
dish brown, or dull white. The tail is of the same
colour as the back, and is provided with a tuft of
black hairs which project from one to two inches
beyond the tip. The black tuft of hairs on the end
of the tail of the Great Grey Mungoose is consider-
ably larger than on this species, and each hair is
three to four inches long. Moreover, the Slender
Mungoose is of small size, and the other is large
and robust in comparison, therefore it is impossible
to confuse the two.

A local race occurs in the Transvaal, and is known
as Mungos caaui Swinnyi.

THE RUDDY MUNGOOSE

(Mungos ratlamucht)
Syn. : HerpesUs gracilis badius

The Ruddy Mungoose inhabits the drier parts
of South Africa. Specimens have been obtained
24

THE MUNGOOSE

from Bechuanaland, the Kalahari, and from
Upington on the Orange River. It is stated to
range as far north as Zanzibar.

This mungoose is shy and secretive, darting in-
stantly into cover when alarmed. It is invariably
found in localities covered with scrubby bush and
undergrowth. The rock-strewn, vegetation-covered,
low hillsides are favourite haunts of this graceful
little creature. It devours rats, mice, reptiles, &c.,
like other South African mungooses, but when
termites (" White ants ") are plentiful it subsists
almost entirely upon them. The termites are
secured by scratching a small hole in the side of
the termite hill, and when the inmates swarm into
the breach they are carefully licked up with the
tongue. In many of the more barren districts in
which this species of mungoose is found, rats,
mice, and reptiles are scarce, or actually non-
existent, and in these instances the Ruddy Mun-
goose lives exclusively on termites, ants, beetles,
and various larvae. When a sufficient foothold is
obtainable, it ascends trees in search of birds' eggs
and young.

This mungoose is bright rufous in colour, and the
tip of its tail is black. The fur is not annulated.
The average length is a foot from the tip of the
nose to the base of the tail. The tail is slightly
shorter than the body.

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

THE WATER MUNGOOSE

(Mungos paludinosus typicus)

Syn. : Herpestes galera

Also known as the Zwarte Muishond, Bruin Kommetje-
gat-kat ; Ivusi of the Amaxosa.

The Water Mungoose is common throughout
South Africa, and extends north as far as the
Equator. Unlike its South African cousins, it is an
aquatic animal, and is never found far from water.
The reeds and rushes on the margins of lakes,
rivers, ponds, and marshes are its haunts. Although
its feet are not webbed, it is an expert swimmer and
diver, rivalling the otter in this respect. When
hunted from its lair by dogs, it at once takes to the
water, and is with difficulty caught. When hard
pressed it often resorts to a clever and effective
manoeuvre to outwit its pursuers. Diving down
amongst the water weeds, rushes or reeds, it keeps
its body completely immersed, the tip of its nose
only appearing above water. One evening about
sundown on my estate in Natal I surprised a Water
Mungoose in a pond which had formerly been a clay
pit. There was no cover in the shape of rushes or
water weeds, with the exception of a few isolated
tufts of watergrass near the margin. After swim-
ming about and diving repeatedly, the mungoose
suddenly vanished. I carefully watched for several
minutes, but it failed to appear. I sat down, de-
26

THE MUNGOOSE

termined to keep a sharp lookout for half an hour
or so. My pointer dog was equally puzzled, and
began sniffing round the margin of the pool. Pre-
sently he stopped, became rigid and " pointed."
His eyes were riveted on what seemed to me to be
the end of a dead twig, barely above the level of
the water. The dog's head slowly, almost imper-
ceptibly sank, and then with a rapid movement it
thrust its nose under the water. Next instant
there was a great commotion. The pointer dog
and a large dark object were struggling and tum-
bling over in the shallow water. Presently the dog,
with much difficulty, dragged the Water Mungoose
to the bank, gripping it firmly by the neck. What
I took to be the end of a dead twig was the nose of
the mungoose. Its body was invisible to me in
the muddy water, but the keen eyes and powers
of scent of the dog enabled it to locate the creature.
In the Mooi River in Natal a pair of Water Mun-
gooses became a pest, they having forfeited the right
to live by reason of their thefts of poultry. Half
a dozen fox terrier dogs were got together, and
a hunt was arranged. After searching the reedy
bank of the river for some time, a mungoose was
chased from its lair. It was headed downstream,
where the banks were free from vegetation. After
diving repeatedly the animal swam to the centre of
the stream and awaited the attack. A venturesome
terrier, bolder and more active than the others,
swam ahead and tackled the mungoose. The two
27

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

closed, and a fearful struggle took place. When
the other terriers had almost reached the site of
the battle the mungoose succeeded in gripping the
terrier by the throat, and the two sank from sight.
In about a minute's time they reappeared some
yards further downstream, but almost instantly
vanished. Nothing more was seen of them that
day. Visiting the river late the following after-
noon, the bodies of both combatants were seen
floating near the bank. The grip of the mungoose
had not relaxed. In death its jaws were rigid, and
its canine teeth buried deep in the throat of the
dog. This mungoose proved to be an old male.

I have frequently kept these Water Mungooses
in captivity, but unless caught very young they
are apt to be suspicious, and snap at the fingers
when attempts are made to handle them, even
after being a considerable time in captivity. If
taken into captivity when small, all species of South
African mungooses may be rendered almost, if
not quite, as tame as domestic cats. They never,
however, lose their natural suspicious, secretive,
nervous nature, and the sudden appearance of a
stranger or some domestic animal with which
they are not familiar, or any sudden unusual noise,
will send a tame mungoose into a frenzy of fear,
and it will steal swiftly off with body elongated,
and crouching low, to the darkest and quietest
retreat, and lie hidden for hours.

A Water Mungoose which I had recently cap-
28

THE MUNGOOSE

tured was kept confined in a large aviary. Into
this I threw a live Puff Adder. The mungoose,
with a succession of low growls and grunts, ran
swiftly into a corner and faced the snake. Presently
it began snapping at the reptile, taking care to keep
well beyond striking distance. Tiring of this
manoeuvre, it leaped over the snake, ran three or
four times round it, with its beady-black shiny
eyes all the time intently watching every move-
ment of the reptile. Eventually perceiving the
snake to be at a disadvantage, it sprang upon it,
and next instant, with a backward spring, it was
out of reach of the serpent's formidable fangs.
There was not much need for the precaution, for
it had so severely crushed the head of the snake
that it was physically incapable of biting. Care-
fully watching the reptile for about ten minutes,
the mungoose ran at it again, seized its head, and
this time, instead of nipping and letting go, it
deliberately chewed the head from the body and
swallowed it. Then it leisurely ate a portion of the
body, and the remainder the following day. This
mungoose eventually died of snake-venom poison-
ing in rather a curious way. After maiming a
Puff Adder it chewed up and swallowed the head,
as is usual with the various mungooses ; but an
hour or two after doing so it began to grow sluggish
in its movements, and its eyes lost their sheen and
grew increasingly dim and deep-set. It died in
about ten hours after having eaten the snake's head.
29

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

I held a post-mortem, and found that it had died
of snake-venom poisoning. Its stomach was badly
congested, and extensive haemorrhage had occurred
therein, and in some adjacent tissues. Now, what
evidently occurred was that the mungoose only
slightly chewed up the head of the reptile before
swallowing it, and the spasmodic working of the
snake's jaws had driven one or both fangs into the
wall of the stomach, the venom being at the same
time discharged from the glands into the cellular
tissue, and thus got direct into the blood stream.
Snake venom when swallowed is digested like
ordinary albuminous foodstuffs, and therefore does
no harm. It is poisonous only when it gets into
the blood stream unchanged.

A Water Mungoose, which a friend had at Port
Elizabeth, gave birth to two young ones in the
month of August. The mother kept them in a
nest of grass in a dark corner of the cage. When
they were old enough to leave the nest she showed
the greatest anxiety for their welfare. When any-
one approached the cage she quickly pushed the
little creatures out of sight amongst the fur between
her hind legs, and faced the intruder in a menacing
attitude, ready to sacrifice her life in defence of
her babies.

The natural diet of the Water Mungoose consists

of almost any species of living creature it is able

to overpower. When food is abundant in and

near water, they seldom venture far from their

30

THE MUNGOOSE

waterside retreats, being content with a diet of
frogs, crabs, fish, water snakes, aquatic insects, and
the eggs and young of aquatic birds.

In Natal, Zululand, and the Eastern Transvaal
there is an animal which attains the bulk of an adult
rabbit, known as the Cane Rat (Tbryonomys), which
haunts the reedy banks of rivers, ponds, and
marshes, as well as the neighbouring lands. The
Water Mungoose is an inveterate enemy of these
Cane Rats, for their flesh is a welcome addition to
its diet. This Cane Rat is a rodent or gnawing
animal, and is exceedingly destructive to sugar-
cane, and the crops of the farmer, especially the
mealies, the stalks of which it gnaws in order to
feast upon the unripe milky grain. Therefore, the
Water Mungoose, by preying upon this animal,
renders man a considerable service. When the
various creatures on which it preys, near its haunts
on the margins of marshes, ponds, and water-
courses, are insufficient for its needs, as is often
the case, the Water Mungoose forages around in
the neighbourhood and levies a heavy toll on rats,
mice, snakes, and noxious insects. Should locusts
be available, it devours them with avidity. If this
mungoose lives in proximity to man, however, and
its natural supplies of food should be insufficient,
it causes him much soreness of heart and bitterness
of feeling, by its attacks on his poultry, which are
carried out under cover of darkness. A farmer at
whose homestead I often stayed in Natal had

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

suffered losses of poultry at intervals for a year or
more. Thinking that wild cats caused the damage,
he set poisoned bait and traps, but without success.
One night a half-grown turkey was killed and
partly devoured. Recognising the spoor as that of
a mungoose, we decided to lie in ambush just before
dawn, as I predicted the animal would return just
after daylight when the poultry came down from
their tree perches. I was aware a mungoose could
not have climbed after them, so naturally the in-
ference was that it had been in the habit of surpris-
ing them at daylight. This proved to be so, for
presently we heard a sharp, suddenly stifled cry
from a fowl, and saw a struggling hen whose neck
was in the jaws of a Water Mungoose. Needless
to say the mungoose did not live to witness another
dawn. After we had finished our breakfast we sum-
moned all the farm hands and dogs and proceeded
to the adjacent river (Umsindusi), and eventually
succeeded in killing another, presumably the mate,
as well as three half-grown specimens.

From glands situated under the tail the Water
Mungoose, when alarmed or seized by an enemy,
excretes a fluid which has what might be called a
sweetish, nauseating odour, something akin to the
combined odour of musk and putrid cabbages.

In the neighbourhood of Port Elizabeth this

mungoose is common. One was actually captured

in a patch of scrub near the spruit known as

Baaken's River, where it flows through the town to

32

U .2

«r

55 a>

THE MUNGOOSE

the sea. At Despatch, near Port Elizabeth, Mr.
F. H. Holland has recently killed two of these mun-
gooses, which for some time had been preying on
his poultry. This spot is an ideal habitat for them,
as the banks of the Zwartkops River are thickly
covered with reeds.

The Water Mungoose is dark brown in colour :
the hairs are annulated with bands of brown and
yellow alternately, the former being most pro-
nounced. Often these annulations are absent. The
animal is rather thickset, especially the head and
neck ; the limbs are of a darker brown than the body
fur ; the tail is a little more than half the length of
the body, which averages two feet from the tip of
the nose to the root of the tail. The hair of the
tail is long at the base, but gradually grows shorter
towards the tip, giving the tail a tapering appearance.

On the north-eastern side of South Africa, from
the Transvaal, and up the east coast, a local race
is found, which is larger than the typical kind, and
to distinguish it from the typical race, it is known
as Mungos paludinosus rubellus.

THE SMALL GREY MUNGOOSE

(Mungos Culver ulentus)

Also known as the Grijse Muishond ; Neethaar ; Pepper
and Salt Cat ; Ilitse of Amaxosa

The Small Grey Mungoose is common throughout
the Cape Province and Natal, but so far as is at
VOL. ii 33 3

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

present known it does not inhabit any other parts
of South Africa.

This mungoose is an alert little creature, crisp and
quick in its movements. Its favourite haunts are
the bush-veld and rocky vegetation-covered hill-
sides and valleys. In fact, wherever there is a
sufficiency of natural cover and an abundance of
rats, mice, and insects, there you will in all likeli-
hood find this mungoose. They are invariably
seen in pairs, and unlike most of their cousins,
they may be seen abroad by day as well as by night.
They love to bask in the sunshine in the forest
glades, on beaten tracks, and other exposed situa-
tions. When alarmed they instantly steal off at
a rapid trot into cover, with body elongated and
head lowered. When very much frightened
they gallop off at a rapid pace. I have frequently
sat concealed in some dense scrub and watched
these graceful little creatures at work and at play.

So closely does the coloration of their fur blend
with that of their surroundings, and so noiselessly
do they creep along, that the rats and mice on which
they so largely feed are easily captured. Ground
birds, their eggs and young, form a welcome addi-
tion to the diet of this mungoose ; and insects
are at all times devoured. The common grasshopper
is a favourite food, and when the Migratory Locust
is abundant it is greedily devoured.

The only harm which this little mungoose does
to humanity is by reason of its fondness for chickens.
34

THE MUNGOOSE

As a general rule it will not molest full-grown
fowls, but when pressed by hunger it will not hesi-
tate to attack them, and should it enter a fowl-
house at night it will probably slay several, eating
a little of the flesh of each. However, I have
frequently stayed at farm-houses where these mun-
gooses were common in the neighbourhood, and
unless chickens strayed near their leafy haunts,
they were not molested. Should there be an
abundance of cover in the shape of undergrowth,
thick scrub, and rocks in the immediate vicinity
of a farm-house, then the poultry are never at any
time safe, if any of these mungooses should be
about, unless the poultry are enclosed in wire-
mesh runs.

In the neighbourhood of Port Elizabeth this
mungoose is common, and may be seen at any time
of day on the roads, railway track, and on the broad
fire belts which intersect the demarcated forest.
Occasionally chickens are snapped up when their
owners allow them to wander amongst the bush.
A mungoose of this species will rarely venture far
from cover, for it has a wholesome fear of dogs,
and knows full well that if surprised out in the
open by a dog it can easily be overtaken, and,
although it fights to the death, it is no match even
for a terrier. People living in the vicinity of the
town who keep their fowls in wire-netting enclosures,
never lose any from the attacks of these mungooses,
although they may inhabit the adjacent scrub.
35

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

At Perseverance, near Port Elizabeth, Mr. J.
Martin, a farmer who incubates large batches of
chickens, was in the habit of keeping them during
the daytime in camps, or runs enclosed with a low
fence of wire netting. One day a pair of mungooses
got through the wire and deliberately slaughtered
eighty chickens before they were disturbed.

However, apart from occasional inroads on
poultry, the Small Grey Mungoose fulfils a most
important mission in the economy of Nature, for
of all creatures it is the most persistent in its
pursuit of rats, mice, and noxious insects, and for
these reasons it should not be molested, except,
of course, when it is known to be in the habit of
preying on poultry.

From the sportsman's point of view it is not
an altogether desirable animal to have on game
preserves where partridges and other game birds
are being bred, for it supplements its diet of rats,
mice, snakes, and insects by eating the young and
eggs of these game birds. Game birds, however,
do not usually build their nests near the favourite
haunts of this mungoose, and it must be borne in
mind that it destroys vast numbers of rats, and not
a few snakes, which are themselves great destroyers
of the eggs and young of both ground and tree-
frequenting birds. Again, it might be argued
that game birds are of comparatively little value
in the economy of Nature, so far as man is con-
cerned. Indeed they are in many instances a

36

THE MUNGOOSE

positive pest to the agriculturalist. For many
years I have kept these little mungooses in cap-
tivity. They make nice interesting pets, but they
will seldom allow themselves to be touched, and
when their suspicions are aroused they will snap
viciously at the ringers.

When captured very young and handled daily
they become perfectly tame, but will not allow a
stranger to approach.

The sight of a strange dog at all times makes
them wild with terror.

I kept a mungoose for a considerable time in a
large wire-netting enclosure, to observe its ways.
Whenever it heard a strange sound it stood straight
up on its hind legs, peering in all directions from the
trunk of a tree which was fixed in its cage. This
tree sloped sufficiently for the mungoose to be able
to run up it, which it frequently did. In fact it
spent most of its time perched on the top of the tree
trunk. Its food, which consisted of raw and cooked
meat, was always carried up the tree, piece by piece.
It disliked its food getting contaminated with dirt,
and on picking up a mouthful it would shake it
vigorously. If a live rat was introduced into the
enclosure, escape was hopeless, for the mungoose
was upon it in an instant.

Several times I introduced Puff Adders into its

cage, and in each instance it succeeded in killing

them. The head was always chewed up and

swallowed first, then the appetite was satisfied on

37

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

a portion of the body, and the remaining part was
eaten the following day. I tested several of these
Small Grey Mungooses by injecting them sub-
cutaneously with snake venom. Although they
proved to be strongly resistant to the action of the
poison, yet if a dose capable of killing a cat was
injected, the mungoose would die. Most of the
species of carnivorous animals resist the action
of snake poison strongly. For instance, a dosage
of Boomslang (Dispbolidus typus) venom which killed
a large fowl in ten minutes, and a rabbit in fourteen
minutes, took three days to kill a domestic cat.

In the wild state the lair of this mungoose is in
the midst of masses of thick tangled brushwood,
in crevices amongst rocks, down the deserted bur-
rows of other animals, in hollow logs, and amongst
the branches of low trees. They cannot climb up
perpendicular tree trunks, but can easily run up
them if the trunk slopes sufficiently. When the
branches are low the mungoose has no difficulty
in springing up and thus ascending the tree. \Vhen
once among the branches they run nimbly about,
seemingly quite secure. In the hollow interior of
an old forest tree we discovered a pair of Small
Grey Mungooses and their young ones. They
reached the aperture by running up an adjacent
tree, the trunk of which was sloping, and then
along a branch which almost touched the hole which
communicated with the hollow interior of the tree
in which they made their home.
38

The skull of the Small Grey Mungoose, showing its formidable
array of teeth. (This illustration is natural size.)

THE MUNGOOSE

In form this mungoose is rather slender. The
body, from the tip of the nose to the root of the tail,
averages twelve to fourteen inches ; the tail is ten
to eleven inches. The colour of the fur of the body
is speckled grey, caused by the hairs being banded
or ringed black and white. The legs are dark
brown ; eyes brown.

THE PALE MUNGOOSE

(Mungos punctatissimus)

The only known specimen of this mungoose was
obtained at Port Elizabeth by Dr. Brehm, a German
naturalist, and is at present in the collection of the
Leyden Museum. It is stated to be very closely
allied to the Small Grey Mungoose, differing only
in its lighter colour and its smaller size.

Although I have lived at Port Elizabeth for the
past ten years and done my utmost to obtain
examples of this mungoose, I have failed. Con-
siderable numbers of Small Grey Mungooses have
been sent to me at the museum ; and I have
observed scores of them disporting themselves in
the warm sun's rays near the town. An animal
dealer in Port Elizabeth for many years past has
procured mungooses from this neighbourhood, and
I have taken care to inspect them regularly, but
they were all of the typical species, viz. Mungos
pulverulentus. It is highly probable that the speci-

39

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

men obtained by Brehm is simply a Small Grey
Mungoose somewhat lighter in colour and smaller
in size than usual. Unless other specimens are
forthcoming soon, I consider the Pale Mungoose
should be erased from the list of South African
mammals.

WHITE-TAILED MUNGOOSE
(Mungos albicauda)

This large mungoose occurs in South Africa in the
eastern part of the Cape Province, and throughout
Natal where it is common, and thence northwards
to Rhodesia, and on upwards along the eastern side
of Africa to Abyssinia, and across to Guinea on the
west coast.

The White-tailed Mungoose is an inhabitant of
the bush-veld, rocky scrub-covered valleys and hill-
sides, and the outskirts of forests. I have never
yet found it far from cover such as that afforded by
the patches of thick scrub found on the bush-veld.
In Natal it used to be common in the neighbour-
hood of Pietermaritzburg, in the adjacent Town
Bush, from whence it ventured at night and preyed
upon the poultry of the residents in the neighbour-
ing valley. In secluded localities where there is
little or no danger of it being surprised by man or
his dogs, this mungoose issues forth during the
afternoons in search of food, but is strictly noc-

4°

THE MUNGOOSE

turnal otherwise, and never ventures from cover
before dusk.

It makes its lair in crevices amongst the bush-
covered rocks, and in the midst of dense masses of
scrub ; in holes amongst the roots of forest trees,
and sometimes down the deserted holes of the
Aard Vark.

Although when brought to bay they make a
desperate resistance, yet they are easily overcome
by dogs and killed. They are frequently caught in
baited spring traps, and are often destroyed by
poisoning meat and laying it near their haunts.
The difficulty, however, is to discover the locality
of the lair, for when these animals take to poultry
thieving they become very cunning. I have seen
them chased by dogs into some neighbouring dense
bush or rocky bush-strewn krantz, but on these
places being thoroughly hunted through with a
pack of dogs the following day, no sign of the animal
could be obtained, but often on proceeding across
a hill to another bush half a mile to a couple or
more miles away, the thief would be discovered.

One night three turkeys belonging to a friend
were killed and partly devoured. We poisoned the
remains of one with strychnine, and with the aid
of his dogs, the following day he found the dead
bodies of a pair of White-tailed Mungooses which
had been gripped by the poison and died on their
way back to their lair, a distance of some three
hundred yards from the dead turkey. When
41

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

caught young and treated with gentleness, this
mungoose soon becomes tame and allows itself to
be freely handled. If, however, it is a quarter or
half-grown before being taken into captivity, it
never altogether loses its dread of man, and when
attempts are made to caress it, the creature will
snap viciously at the fingers.

The diet of the White-tailed Mungoose is similar
to that of other species, viz. rats, mice, reptiles,
and insects. It also preys on Klip Dassies or Rock
Rabbits, Cane Rats, and young hares, as well as
game birds, their young and eggs. When the
Migratory Locust is abundant it lives almost ex-
clusively upon it, and waxes fat. In the neigh-
bourhood of man this large mungoose is invariably
a pest, as sooner or later it becomes a poultry thief ;
but away from the habitations of man it fulfils its
mission in life to the full by doing its share in re-
ducing the number of destructive rodents and
harmful insects. It is a most useful animal to have
on sugar plantations, for it will keep in check or
actually exterminate those destructive rodent
animals known as Cane Rats or Ground Pigs.

The White-tailed Mungoose attains a compara-
tively large size, averaging a couple of feet from the
nose to the root of the tail. The tail is about a
foot and a half in length.

The general colour of the fur is blackish grey.
The longer hairs are ringed black and white,
the tips being black. The tail is bushy from

42

The White-tailed Mungoose (Mungos albicauda). It can be dis-
tinguished from all others by its tail, which is white for two-
thirds its length. It is a large mungoose, being two feet in
length from the nose to root of tail.

The White-tailed Mungoose, showing its long bushy white tail by
which it can be distinguished from all the other species.

THE MUNGOOSE

base to tip. From the root it gradually assumes
a white colour, and for half its length it is
pure white. This white tail is not constant in all
individuals of this species. I have examined a few
in Natal in which the tips of the hairs of the tails
were black, giving the animal the appearance of
having a blackish tail. The Large Grey Mungoose
is often confused by the public with this species,
but a glance at the tail is sufficient to distinguish
it, as in the former the tail is bushy at the root,
but tapers rapidly towards the tip, which has a
tuft of black hairs.

WAHLBERG'S MUNGOOSE
(Helogale parvula)

This little mungoose differs so greatly in the
shape of its skull, and the number and form of its
teeth, that it is placed in a different genus (Helogale)
to the foregoing species or kinds, which are all
grouped under the genus Mungos. Wahlberg's
Mungoose is found in bushy localities in Natal,
but is rather uncommon. There are two species,
the other being known as Helogale brunnula.

THE SMOOTH-NOSED MUNGOOSE, ALSO KNOWN

AS MELLER'S MUNGOOSE

(Rhyncbogale melleri)

This mungoose differs from the typical kinds in
a few anatomical characters, such as having no
43

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

naked line running from the nose to the upper lip,
and the skull having a rounded appearance without
any pronounced angles or crests, and the palate
deeply concave. By reason of these differences,
naturalists have placed it in a genus by itself.

The Smooth - nosed Mungoose inhabits the
eastern parts of Africa, and appears to be rather
rare. It has been found at Komatipoort, and can,
therefore, be claimed as one of the South African
animals. Its food appears to consist of wild fruits,
insects, and no doubt the various small mammals,
such as those eaten by other species of mungooses.

The general colour is, according to W. L. Sclater,
" dark ashy, darker along the middle line of the
back ; woolly underfur dark slaty with pale brown
tips, the longer hairs ringed brown and white ;
head coloured like the body ; nose completely
surrounded by hairs, so that there is no bare line
between the nose and the upper lip. Tail with
long hairs, much as in the White-tailed Mungoose,
with a dark dorsal line and black tip, all the hairs
being white at the base ; iris dark brown with sea-
green centre. Head and body twenty-two inches ;
tail fifteen inches."

THE BANDED MUNGOOSE

(Cross archus fasciatus typicus)

The Banded Mungoose has been placed under a
different genus to the preceding species owing to
44

THE MUNGOOSE

certain anatomical differences, one of which is that
in this species the palate is flat, whereas in Meller's
Mungoose it is concave.

It occurs from Kaffraria through Natal, Trans-
vaal, and northwards into East Africa. In Natal
it is common in the coastal districts. The Banded
Mungoose lives in small communities, usually
in the vicinity of rivers, in burrows, and often
in the old deserted heaps of termites. Their
ways and habits are very similar to those of the
common meerkat of South Africa. Like the meer-
kat they have a habit of sitting up on their haunches
and peering round in a most inquisitive manner;
or standing contentedly basking in the sun with
their legs apart to allow the sun's rays to strike the
abdomen. Their voice, too, resembles that of the
meerkat, for, when pleased or desiring to attract
attention, they give vent to a plaintive twittering
or trilling succession of sounds. When irritated
or alarmed they bark somewhat like a small dog.
Like the meerkat they diligently scratch the ground
in search of insects, which they devour greedily.
They also eat roots, berries, seeds, tender shoots,
and sweet bark. Lizards, snails, slugs, and other
small creatures also form a portion of their diet.
The shells of snails and eggs they smash by taking
them between the forepaws and dashing them
back behind their hind feet against some hard
substance such as a stone or wall.

In captivity the Banded Mungoose is as amusing,
45

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

affectionate, and docile as the well-known Slender-
tailed Meerkat (Suricata tetradactyla) already re-
ferred to. Like the latter it is very useful in eating
up cockroaches and other troublesome insects.
The Banded Mungoose does a considerable service
to man in checking the too rapid increase of harmful
insects. It is one of the few animals which prey
largely on the insects in their larval or grub stage.
Its powers of smell are so highly developed that it
is able to locate the exact position of a grub under-
ground, and, with its sharp claws, digs it up and
devours it. These grubs are mostly the larvae of
vegetation-eating beetles, and during the period
they remain underground they feed upon the roots
of grasses, pasture plants, and agricultural produce.
It may be urged that out in the veld these insects
do little harm to the farmer beyond injuring pasture
plants, but it must be remembered that these larvae
or grubs emerge in due time from the ground in the
form of various winged insects which invade the
neighbouring cultivated fields and deposit their eggs
amongst the crops, and thus infect the farms with
insect pests which the farmer finds it impossible to
destroy, as they work unseen underground. Many
species of insects harmful to man, such as the Mi-
gratory Locust, multiply unchecked out in the wilds,
and afterwards spread broadcast over the country.
It would, therefore, be well for man to hesitate and
ponder carefully instead of coming to hasty con-
clusions and rashly taking the lives of the creatures

THE MUNGOOSE

evolved by the Creator to fulfil important missions
in the economy of Nature. As a rule, the farmer
does not trouble himself to become acquainted
with the animals of veld, forest, mountain, and
stream, except for the purpose of knowing where
to look for them in order to hunt them to death
with dogs, or to amuse himself by shooting them
wantonly. His children, with such an example set
them, grow up regarding birds, animals, and other
creatures as providing a means by which they may be-
guile leisure time in hunting and shooting them, and
by so doing 'of ten bringing retribution upon them-
selves in the form of plagues of rats, mice, locusts,
and other insects, as well as many stock diseases.

The Banded Mungoose is so called because of
the presence of about twenty alternate black and
dull white bands on the hind half of the body ;
each white band on its posterior part gradually
shades into rufous before joining the black band.
The alternate black and white bands are caused by
the individual hairs, which are ringed black and
dirty white, being arranged in such a way that the
colours show up as bands.

The limbs are darker than the back, and nearly
black towards the toes. The tarsus is bare, and
there are five toes to each foot. Length of the
head and body about sixteen inches ; the tail is of
about half this length, and black towards the tip.

There is a local race or sub-species (Crossarchus
fasciatus senescens) in Portuguese East Africa.
47

THE BUSHY-TAILED OR ROOI MEERKAT
(Cynic tis -penicillata typicus)

THE Bushy-tailed Meerkat, which is also known
to colonists as the Rooi or Red Meerkat, and to the
Amaxosa natives as the Igala, is not the one which
makes such a gentle and affectionate pet, and which
is known, if not by sight, at least by reputation,
to most South African colonists. The Bushy-
tailed Meerkat seen in the distance is reddish-
yellow in appearance, but on close inspection it
proves to be a dull orange-yellow colour. It is an
inhabitant of the eastern parts of the Cape Province,
extending north through the Orange Free State,
the high veld of the Transvaal, Bechuanaland, and
the Kalahari, to Lake Ngami.

On the karoo in the western parts of the Cape
Province it is replaced by the well-known Slender-
tailed Meerkat, which colonists capture and
tame. The latter has, however, extended into the
Eastern Province of the Cape, as far south as
Uitenhage and Alexandria, where its species is now
abundant.

The Rooi Meerkat lives in colonies of a score and

f
I-

THE BUSHY-TAILED OR ROOI MEERKAT

more individuals on the karoo. On the site of
their home the ground is often honeycombed with
their burrows. When seeking food they scatter in
all directions, and, when alarmed, race back and
disappear with the greatest of haste down their
burrows. Presently sharp noses may be observed
protruding from the burrow entrances, followed by
the heads, and the meerkats make a careful survey
of their surroundings and listen intently for some
time before again venturing forth.

The burrows are usually found in mounds of
comparatively loose earth, and at other times on
gentle slopes, as the meerkat is always careful to
construct its burrow in such a way as to prevent
flooding by rain-water.

At Addo, which is in the Uitenhage Division of
the Cape Province, and about forty-five miles from
Port Elizabeth, there is a large colony of these
meerkats on the karoo veld, which numbers at
least fifty individuals. The burrows enter the
earth at an angle, and near each hole is a mound
composed of the earth scraped out in excavating
the hole. The number of individuals is determined
by the food supply, and the degree of security or
otherwise from enemies. When food is scarce they
scatter and roam away in pairs until they find some
locality abounding in insect and rodent life.

They have the same habit as that of the Ground
Squirrel of sitting upright on their haunches and
surveying their surroundings for evidences of the
VOL. ii 49 4

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

enemy. On the slightest cause for alarm they
instantly disappear underground or into cover
afforded by rocks or undergrowth. Out upon the
karoo they cannot be distinguished from the Ground
Squirrels unless approached closely. Although as
large as itself, the Bushy-tailed Meerkat attacks
and devours the Ground Squirrel. In the neigh-
bourhood of man they are usually shy and secretive.
They are frequently seen in the bush-veld, dense
shrub, or vegetation-covered, rock-strewn localities
where they have their burrows securely hidden.

They are diurnal by habit, but when living in
the vicinity of man they often become night prowlers
and do considerable harm to the poultry farmer.
They often hunt in this way in pairs under cover
of darkness.

When riding or driving across the vast stretches
of the dry karoo of the Cape Province midlands, I
have seen a dozen or more of those Bushy-tailed
Meerkats in the course of a day's journey, but they
were always either in pairs or in quite small colonies.
Sitting erect for a minute or two the meerkat watches
you approach, then dropping down it makes off at a
fairly rapid pace with a series of leaps and bounds
through and over the sparse stunted growth of
the dry karoo, with its handsome tail streaming
out behind it. Dogs can easily overtake this meer-
kat if it is not within a hundred yards or so of
dense cover or its hole. When brought to bay it
fights with the greatest of determination and

50

THE BUSHY-TAILED OR ROOI MEERKAT

courage. It is often hunted with terrier dogs,
and if it should happen to take refuge in the de-
serted burrow of an Aard Vark or Spring Hare, a
trained terrier will go in after it and frequently
succeed in dragging it out, not, however, without
getting several severe bites about the lips and head.

However, no dog can follow a meerkat down a
burrow excavated by itself, as it is much too small.
The only way to secure it in such situations is to
laboriously dig it out. They can easily be captured
alive by placing cage traps baited with meat near
their holes. It has been stated these meerkats are
never met with in the bush-veld. On the contrary,
I have frequently observed them in bushy country,
not in the dense native forests, but in the true
bush-veld. Scores of times I have surprised them
sunning themselves in the glades, and on the road-
ways through the bush. The instant I came into
view they bounded off to cover.

Riding on the outskirts of bushy lands these
meerkats may frequently be seen out a hundred
yards or so upon the open veld in search of insects,
reptiles, small mammals, the eggs and young of
ground birds, which constitute their chief diet.
On the slightest cause for alarm they make for the
scrub with a series of graceful bounds.

In the neighbourhood of Port Elizabeth the
Bushy- tailed Meerkat is common, even in :he dense
forests which have been planted by the Govern-
ment Forest Department with a view of fixing the

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

drifting sand which threatened to bury a portion
of Port Elizabeth. At intervals through this forest
broad belts or roads have been cut to act as fire
breaks. On these open spaces the meerkats may
be seen at any time of day lying stretched out in the
sun, sporting with one another, or in the act of stalk-
ing a Bush Pheasant (Red-necked Francoliri) . They
are often seen in the public roads scratching and
turning over the dung in search of beetles, which
they greedily devour.

Until recently, colonies of these meerkats lived
on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, but, owing to
continued persecution, these colonies have vanished,
and the individual meerkats composing them have
scattered and now live in pairs.

Out upon the karoo, away from the habitation of
man, the Bushy- tailed Meerkat exists upon Otomys,
mice, the eggs and young of ground birds, lizards,
small tortoises, and insects. They at times attack
and devour larger prey, for if any Ground Squirrels
should be in the neighbourhood they do not hesitate
to follow them down their burrows and attack and
kill them. Even the Springhaas or Jumping Hare
falls a victim to these little carnivorous creatures. It
is a common occurrence to find a pair of these meer-
kats in possession of a burrow of a Jumping Hare
or a Ground Squirrel, the rightful occupants having
either been devoured or driven out.

There are many species of land tortoises in South
Africa. They all lay eggs. The parent excavates
52

THE BUSHY-TAILED OR ROOT MEERKAT

a shallow hole in the soil and lays one or more eggs
therein. The hole is then filled with the loose dirt,
and after moistening it with a urinary secretion it is
stamped down hard. The Bushy-tailed Meerkat,
guided by the peculiar odour of this secretion, finds
the spot, digs up the eggs, and makes a meal of
them. The young tortoises also fall victims, for
at this time their shell or carapace is not sufficiently
hard and strong to withstand the teeth of the
meerkat. The eggs of snakes are sought out and
devoured, and this bold little animal does not
hesitate to even attack venomous snakes.

Termites or " White Ants " are eagerly eaten by
this meerkat. A small piece of the mound is scraped
off, and when the little inhabitants swarm out, they
are licked up. I came across a pair of meerkats
one day busy devouring the " flying ants " as they
emerged from the ground. These flying ants are
fertile male and female termites which, at certain
seasons, hatch out in the nest, develop wings, and
fly off to establish new homes.

When these flying ants begin to take wing, the
birds of the air, the animals of the plains, the
reptiles, and the carnivorous species of insects
issue forth and feast upon them. If this slaughter
did not occur these termites would swarm over
the land and render the greater part of it unin-
habitable by man.

In the neighbourhood of farms the Bushy-tailed
Meerkat often proves a pest owing to its fondness
53

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

54

'§.

THE BUSHY-TAILED OR ROOT MEERKAT

for fowls' eggs and chickens. Unlike the muishond,
it rarely ventures into fowl-houses. The eggs it
levies toll upon are these laid by hens out in the
bushes or grass some distance from the homestead.
When a hen ventures too far out on the veld with
her chicks, a few are snapped up. When dogs are
kept at the farm this meerkat always keeps at a
considerable distance, as it has a wholesome dread
of these animals.

It has, however, acquired the evil practice on
some stock farms of killing small lambs. The
lamb is seized by the nose by one or more meerkats,
and slowly dragged to the burrow. Should it fall
exhausted on the way, the flesh on its face is eaten
off. Dead lambs have been found with the head
and neck down the meerkats' burrows. Lambs
bitten by these meerkats nearly always pine and die.

From a sportsman's point of view this meerkat
does a good deal of harm in eating the eggs and
young of game birds. The various species of
bustard (Paauw and Korhaan) suffer to a consider-
able extent, for the reason that they inhabit the
districts most frequented by the Bushy-tailed
Meerkat. This meerkat does not make a very
interesting pet in captivity. It is shy, suspicious,
and cunning, and has none of the interesting and
comical ways of its cousin the Slender-tailed Meer-
kat. If captured when already adult, it can never
be satisfactorily tamed, but if caught young it soon
loses its dread of man, and will allow itself to be
55

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

handled, but it is easily alarmed, and if roughly
handled it will bite viciously. At the Port Elizabeth
Museum we have kept them alive from time to time.
They are showy little animals — sharp, alert, and full
of energy. They thrive on a diet of meat and eggs.

The general colour of the Bushy-tailed Meerkat
is reddish-yellow. The fur is slaty at the base,
then yellow, the tips of the longer hairs being
ringed brown and white. The under parts are
whitish ; chin and throat white ; ears brown
margined with white hairs ; limbs paler than the
back ; five dark claws on each of the fore limbs,
and four to the hind limbs. Tail long and covered
with rather lengthy hairs, which are yellow at the
base and tip, with a black broad band between.
The tip of the tail is white, but not invariably so.

Length from tip of nose to root of tail about
sixteen inches.

The Bushy-tailed Meerkat has been divided into
several local races owing to slight variations in the
colour and size. They are as follows :

Cynictis penicillata intensa.
„ „ steedmanni.

„ ogilbyi.
„ „ pallidior.

,, „ leptura.

Another species of Bushy-tailed Meerkat, known
as Selous' Meerkat (Cynictis selousi), occurs in
Rhodesia, and up the East Coast.

56

THE SLENDER-TAILED MEERKAT

Yet another Bushy-tailed Meerkat, but of a
different genus (Bdeogale crassicauda) is now regis-
tered as one of the South African fauna, it having
been procured south of the Zambesi, in Mossam-
bique. It occurs chiefly in East Africa, north of
the Zambesi. This species is distinguished by
having four toes to both fore and hind feet.

THE SLENDER-TAILED MEERKAT

(Suricata suricatta)
Syn. : 5. tetradactyla

THIS little animal is the typical meerkat of South
Africa, and is known by all colonists as such. It
inhabits the karoo portions of the uplands of the
Cape Province right across from Namaqualand on the
west to Griqualand East, and northwards through
the Orange Free State and Great Namaqualand.
In the Uitenhage and Alexandria Divisions of the
Cape Province it is quite common ; so much so that
it has become a pest on many stock farms.

This meerkat digs burrows out on the exposed
karoo, and lives in small colonies. When perse-
cuted by man they frequently wander off and live
in pairs, seeking less exposed situations for their
burrows. Like the Ground Squirrel and the Bushy-
tailed Meerkat, they have the habit of sitting erect
on their haunches and gazing curiously around.
This habit of sitting erect is very pronounced,
57

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

for this little fellow is constantly popping up to
glance around.

In the wild state it may be seen at almost any
time of day diligently scratching the soil in search
of tubers and bulbs, which are so abundant on the
karoo veld.

These it devours, as well as any beetles, worms,
or larvae it may succeed in unearthing. Any small
creature which the meerkat is able to capture and
overcome is greedily eaten. The young and eggs
of snakes are sought out and furnish a meal for. this
energetic little hunter. He is a source of terror to
rats and mice, for he pursues them to their retreats ;
and should they be of the species which take refuge
in holes, he thinks nothing of spending half a day
in digging one out. The Striped Field Mouse,
which is common all over South Africa, as well as
some other species of rats and mice, build nests
in tufts of grass and low shrubs, and in these half
a dozen or more young are born at a time and
reared. The meerkat, whose sense of smell is
exceedingly acute, smells out these nests and de-
vours the young, thus helping to maintain the
balance of Nature. Rats, mice, and venomous
snakes are very quick-breeding creatures, and if
not preyed upon by many enemies would soon
become a scourge to man.

Should any bird be foolish enough to build its
nest upon the ground in the haunts of the meerkat,
it will not hesitate to devour the eggs or young.
58

ii

2 3

I

THE SLENDER-TAILED MEERKAT

Very few birds, however, build their nests in the
localities frequented by these meerkats. The
Slender- tailed Meerkat is the most easily tamed
species of animal in South Africa. It is singularly
unsuspicious of man, and grows so affectionate
that at times it becomes a positive nuisance. Tame
meerkats seem to be obsessed by two dominant
ideas, viz. to ferret around for food, and to seek
warmth. Placed in a garden it pokes and scratches
about everywhere in a restless, nervous sort of way,
emitting a low, chattering, whining noise almost
incessantly. There is nothing it loves better than
being allowed to conceal itself upon one's person,
underneath the clothing. It will crawl up a trouser
leg, sleeve, or beneath a waistcoat until it finds a
warm and restful spot, whereupon the fretful
chattering ceases.

This meerkat is a true Sun Worshipper. Before
sunrise they are out of their burrows, patiently
waiting for the rising of the sun. Then, sitting
on their haunches, with legs apart, the abdomen is
exposed to the sun's warm rays.

It is most amusing to watch captive meerkats
when the weather is at all chilly. The instant
one is released from its cage or chain, it runs out
into the sunlight, and, lying upon its back, it spreads
out its legs and flattens its body in order to absorb
the maximum amount of heat. There it lies in an
utter abandonment of delight, crooning and mutter-
ing to itself. If the garden is large and the meerkat
59

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

has strayed, all that is needed is to seek, out the
exposed places where the sun is beaming down upon
the ground, and on one or other of them you will
find the little fellow basking as usual. When the
sun sets it races off, seeks out the kitchen stove,
sits up before it, and, spreading out its limbs,
toasts itself.

The antics and comical ways of captive meerkats
provide an everlasting source of amusement and
conversation for the members of the household.
The little fellow is always cheerful, brisk, affec-
tionate, and good-tempered. It is never advisable,
however, to give tame meerkats their liberty,
unless they are kept under supervision or in a
closed yard, for they are apt to stray away and get
lost. In captivity the meerkat will eat anything
of an edible nature. Any of the kinds of food
partaken of by its owners it will eat. It loves to
dig out worms and the larvae of beetles, moths,
&c., for itself. Its sense of smell is so acute that
it can instantly detect the presence of any living
creature, or a bulb underground.

When annoyed the meerkat barks sharply and
shrilly, very much like a young terrier dog. In
the wild state the alarm is given by a series of
sharp barks, whereupon all within hearing scuttle
off to their burrows and take refuge therein.
Presently little noses may be seen popping up,
then a head, and the meerkat looks rapidly around.
If the cause for alarm has vanished, they are out
60

Billy the Meerkat who lived "not wisely but too well."
He is a household pet in a fashionable home, and has in
consequence grown somewhat corpulent, for "he neither
toils nor does he spin." All his wants are provided
for him.

The skull and teeth of a Slender-tailed Meerkat. (Natural
size.) The canine or righting teeth are large and sharp,
and the molar or back teeth are specially adapted for
crushing the hard shells of beetles and chewing them up.

THE SLENDER-TAILED MEERKAT

and on the move, or lying basking on their backs
in the sun once again.

A meerkat which I kept for a considerable time
in captivity successfully attacked and killed several
venomous snakes which I threw in front of it.
Watching its opportunity it made a rapid rush,
seized the reptile by the head, and held grimly on
until it had succeeded in crushing the skull. It
then chewed up the head and swallowed it before
satisfying its hunger from the body part. I could
never induce it to attack large venomous snakes.
It was evidently aware of the danger involved in
so doing.

As a pet the Slender- tailed Meerkat is in great
demand. There is a considerable mortality amongst
meerkats kept in captivity, for the reason that
they are overfed, and in consequence their digestive
organs become seriously deranged. They grow
emaciated, and the stomach and bowels become
greatly dilated. This habit of feeding household
pets at any odd time always brings about disease
in some form in the animals. Unfortunately
the unscientific custom is well-nigh universal of
feeding children in the same haphazard way,
allowing them to eat sweets, cakes, and other
foodstuffs between meals, thus laying a sure founda-
tion for future ill-health ; or bringing about the
death of the child from some disease which
its weakened body and impure blood could not
overcome.

61

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

The natural enemies of the meerkat are few.
The eagles are those they are in ever-present
dread of, for, without an instant's warning, an
eagle will drop like a stone from the sky, and the
first intimation of its presence is its outspread
wings when breaking its fall preparatory to seizing
its prey. The Honey Ratel is another enemy
which perseveringly digs the meerkat from its
burrow and devours it. These ratels are relent-
less in their pursuit of prey. Should one happen
on a little colony of meerkats, it patiently digs
them out one after another, and satisfying its
hunger off the body of one, it carries the others,
one at a time, away to its lair.

When meerkats increase unduly in numbers,
food becomes scarce and the balance of Nature is
restored by the adults devouring the young of
each other. Should famine threaten, the weaker
ones are attacked, slain, and eaten in obeyance of
the law that the fittest shall survive to perpetuate
their kind for the ultimate good of the race.

The meerkat is not a very quick-breeding animal.
Two are the usual number produced at a birth.
The young are reared in a nest at the end of the
burrow. A Slender-tailed Meerkat is about four-
teen inches in length from the nose to the root of
the tail. The tail tapers to a point, and is six to
seven inches long, reddish-yellow in colour, and
tipped with black. The eyes are dark brown, and
the surrounding skin is black. Ears small, dark,
62

THE SLENDER-TAILED MEERKAT

and rounded. Front claws large and curved. The
snout projects a good deal beyond the lips.

The animal is grizzled grey with a reddish-yellow
hue. The back is banded with irregular black
and whitish bands which are caused by the regu-
larity of the black and white rings on the longer
hairs. The under parts are pale yellow or whitish.

The Slender-tailed Meerkat is divided into three
local races owing to slight variations in colour and
size. These are as follows :

Suricata suricatta namaquensis .
„ „ hamiltoni.

lopburus.

63

THE AARD OR EARTH WOLF

(Proteles cristatus)

Also known as the Manhaar Jalchals ; Grey Jackal ;
Nadrou Jackal ; Wehr Wolf j Inci of the Amaxosa
natives ; Isingci of the Swazis ; Tuku of the Basutos
(Kirby)

LIKE the Secretary Bird in the feathered kingdom,
the Manhaar Jakhals or Aard Wolf has no relatives
sufficiently allied to it in an anatomical sense to
permit of it being classified in the same family.
So naturalists have been forced to give it a family
name all to itself. On reference to books on natural
history it will, therefore, be found that the Aard
Wolf is the only representative of the family termed
Protelid* and the genus Proteles.

The Aard Wolf is common throughout South
Africa, and in most other parts of the continent
north of the Zambesi. It is an inhabitant of the
bush-veld, and the open treeless country. Some-
times it makes a lair in the dense matted under-
growth, but as a general rule it lives in burrows
dug out by itself, or holes of smaller animals which
it enlarges ; but more usually the holes abandoned

'

= H

•O 3

S.2

El

i: C8

^ uT

rt H

~ y " tt

THE AARD OR EARTH WOLF

by ant-eaters are taken possession of. The end of
the hole is enlarged and forms a roomy chamber.
The entrance to this is just sufficiently large for the
manhaar to squeeze through. When attacked by
dogs, he defends the entrance to this chamber with
great vigour. In Natal I found the Aard Wolves
usually preferred the deserted holes of these Aard
Varks or ant-eaters. It seemed apparent that when
such holes were available the Aard Wolves always
would take possession of them in preference to
excavating burrows for themselves. A burrow is
inhabited by a pair of these animals. The puppies,
which are usually from two to four in number at a
birth, are born and reared at the bottom of the
burrow. As many as six in a litter have been re-
corded. The young animals remain with their
parents until they are well grown and capable of
taking care of themselves. Once in Natal we gave
chase to a pair of adults and half-grown young ones
which raced off and scrambled all of a heap into
their burrow, which was of ample dimensions,
being that of an ant-eater. It is quite an easy task
to dig them out, for they lie cowering in abject fear
at the bottom of the burrow instead of energetically
tunnelling the soil to place a greater distance between
themselves and their pursuers, as does the ant-eater.
Aard Wolves are strictly nocturnal, issuing from
their lairs at dusk and returning at dawn. They
can easily be run down by dogs. In fact an active
man could in many instances overtake them if they
VOL. ii- 65 5

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

are out upon the open veld, and not too near their
burrows. When overtaken, they discharge the
contents of two anal glands, which is a yellow vis-
cous fluid and has a disagreeable musky odour.
This is done as a protection, for it is particularly
unpleasant and nauseating to carnivorous animals.
Aard Wolves are exceedingly timid creatures, and
on the slightest cause for alarm will rush off and
take sanctuary in their burrows, or in the dense
matted shrub. When brought to bay by dogs the
Aard Wolf emits a roaring kind of noise, ending in
a sharp yell, and makes short dashes at the dogs in
the vain hope of intimidating them. When sur-
rounded or cornered by dogs it seems bold enough,
but beyond snapping at random it does not offer
any very serious resistance. On being seized by a
man it frequently prostrates itself upon the ground
and lies still. A pair with two almost half-grown
young ones were dug out of a burrow by a Dutch
friend of mine in Natal. When he came upon them
at the end of the hole, they were huddled up in a
heap ; seizing them one at a time, he dropped them
into a mealie sack held open by a Kafir. They did
not resist in the slightest. In captivity the Aard
Wolf is exceedingly timid, and, retreating to the
darkest corner of its cage, coils up and lies still
until dark. It then becomes very restless. If
taken when in the puppy stage it is possible to
make these Aard Wolves as tame as any domestic
dog. Moreover, they soon lose their instinct to
66

THE AARD OR EARTH WOLF

sleep by day and roam by night, and will romp and
play and seek food at any time of day. Many other
animals, which in their wild condition are nocturnal,
change this habit when captured young, and become
alert and active during the daytime. The Honey
Ratel is an example. So timid are these Aard
Wolves that when adults are captured it is very
difficult to induce them to eat. An animal dealer
of my acquaintance at various times purchased
adult Aard Wolves from Hottentots who dug them
out of burrows. In most instances they refused
all food and died in a week or two. The young
ones, however, quickly become reconciled to cap-
tivity, and after a day's fast will eat freely of mince-
meat, boiled eggs, or eggs and milk. I have from
long experience found it inadvisable to give starchy
foods such as bread or porridge to animals whose
diet in the wild condition consisted entirely of
flesh, which includes all forms of life other than
vegetable. Starchy food causes indigestion, with
subsequent bowel troubles, for the reason that the
digestive juices of strictly carnivorous animals are
not adapted for the digestion of starch in any form.
However, with care it is quite possible to accustom
carnivorous animals to a starchy diet, but the work
must be begun when they are young — the younger
the better.

The domestic dog and cat are instances of flesh-
eating animals whose digestive juices have been
modified to digest starch. In its native condition

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

out upon the veld, the diet of the Aard Wolf con-
sists of locusts, and termites which are generally
known as " White Ants." When these are scarce
or unprocurable, all edible forms of insect life are
eaten, supplemented by the eggs and tender young
of ground birds, the eggs of snakes, young rats,
mice, lizards, and carrion. However, there can be
no doubt that the main diet of this animal consists
of those often highly destructive creatures called
termites or " White Ants."

Like the ant-eater or Aard Vark, the Aard Wolf
in this respect renders man exceedingly valuable
service. The damage wrought by many of the
species of termites is immense, as those who have
resided in the parts of the country infested with
these pests have reason to know. The Aard Wolf
does not possess a special insect-collecting apparatus
like the long sticky tongue of an ant-eater, but it
can nevertheless dispose of a considerable number
of termites in a very short space of time. Digging
down right into the nest it searches until the queen
termite is found enclosed in her royal cell of clay.
This is broken by the animal's teeth, and the fat
queen, which is a dainty morsel the size of a man's
thumb, is devoured. Then the whole of the breed-
ing part of the nest is scattered, and the supplemen-
tary or reserve queens are eaten, or left exposed
upon the surface of the ground to fall a prey to
birds, small mammals, or carnivorous beetles. For
many years past, whenever a specimen of an Aard
68

THE AARD OR EARTH WOLF

Wolf was sent to the museum, or if the body other-
wise came into my possession, I always made a
point of examining the contents of their stomachs.
Although a considerable number were examined,
I never in a single instance found anything but the
remains of insects of various sorts, a few small
lizards, young mice, and rats, and, in others, some
traces of what seemed to be carrion. In the
stomachs of many of them there was no trace of
anything but termites.

Mr. Cloete, who has done such good service in the
cause of Natural History in the past, writes that
he examined the stomachs of over fifty Aard Wolves
and never found a trace of anything in the way of
food, other than that which indicated a purely in-
sectivorous diet. He went further and carefully
examined the excrement, but such examination
only served to confirm his other observations.
Sparrman and other authors declare that the con-
tents of the stomachs of all the Earth Wolves ex-
amined by them contained termites only. These
observations made it clear that in those districts
which are infested with "White Ants," the Aard
Wolf, like the Ant Bear, subsists almost, if not en-
tirely, on them. In the parts where termites are
scarce or non-existent, a miscellaneous assortment
of insects and small soft-bodied creatures consti-
tutes the diet of the animal. Apart from the actual
examination of the contents of the Manhaar Jakhal's
stomach, a glance at the teeth of the animal would

69

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

convince anyone that it could not deal with any
bony matter or lumps of flesh, for its molar or
grinding teeth are quite rudimentary, and its front
or incisor teeth are small and blunt. This alone
is sufficient evidence to make it clear to us that like
the Aard Vark, the Manhaar JakhaPs normal diet con-
sists of soft food, or food which does not require to
be torn or chewed before being swallowed. In fact,
whatever the animal takes into its mouth is either
swallowed entire or merely crushed to a slight extent.
It is claimed by some farmers that Manhaar Jakhals
kill and devour kids and lambs. It is quite true that
they do resort to this practice, for hunger drives
an animal to desperation, and will cause it to alter
its ways considerably.

On a farm in the Humansdorp district of the
Cape Province, there are at least fifty Aard Wolves
which live in the deserted burrows of Aard Varks.
The owner of the farm keeps large numbers of
different kinds of stock, including sheep and goats.
He informs me that, although he has resided on
the farm for a number of years, he has never sus-
tained any loss through Aard Wolves. Knowing
they are perfectly harmless, he never shoots or
hunts them, consequently they are not so timid and
secretive as they are in most parts of the country.
In consequence he frequently sees them about
before dark, and on many occasions has actually
observed them among the sheep and goats shortly
after the birth of the lambs and kids. He is posi-
70

THE AARD OR EARTH WOLF

tive in his assertions that they never molest the
young stock, or interfere with ostrich eggs or chicks.

On two or three occasions, to test whether they
ate flesh food, he placed lumps of meat in front of
their burrows, but they did not touch them.

It is asserted by many farmers that some of these
animals have acquired the habit of killing lambs
and kids for the sake of the curdled milk in their
stomachs. This is a habit which baboons in some
districts have acquired.

It is also accused of eating ostrich eggs. The
Cape Jackal is known to have acquired this habit.
The eggs are broken by knocking them against each
other, or on stones. If Aard Wolves are occasionally
guilty of these practices, it does not follow that it •
is a habit of all their tribe. Because a hawk takes
to chicken-stealing, it by no means follows that all
the hawk tribe should be condemned and shot at
sight because of the guilt of one of their kind.

Aard Wolves are shy and timid animals, and
go in mortal fear of dogs. They are poor runners,
and, therefore, do not venture far from their
lairs, except in the parts of the country remote
from the habitations of man. Most farmers secure
their sheep and goats at night in pens or kraals, and
in these situations they are invariably safe from
any over-venturesome Aard Wolf, which would
belie its nature if it ventured within the sphere of
the farmer's dogs. The animal being nocturnal,
it would, therefore, not interfere with any kids or

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

lambs out upon the hillside or veld during the day-
time. If kids or lambs are killed during the day,
and afterwards found with their stomachs torn out,
then in all probability baboons are the offenders.

Even if the assertion were true that the Manhaar
Jakhals occasionally eat the eggs of ostriches, the
number so devoured must be insignificant. The
reasons are several. Many farmers artificially in-
cubate their ostrich eggs. The majority of those
who allow them to hatch normally take care that
the nest is in a camp near to the farmhouse, especi-
ally in the parts of the country which are infested
with Kafir dogs, and the larger carnivorous animals
such as the leopard, lynx, wild dog, and Cape
Jackal. Even supposing a nest was remote from the
homestead, it is even then highly improbable that
such a timid nervous creature as the Aard Wolf
would be so bold as to actually drag the eggs from
under the cock ostrich, for it must be borne in mind
that the male bird sits upon the eggs during the
hours of darkness when the Aard Wolf is on the
prowl, and that at the breeding season he is fierce
and aggressive. A Cape Jackal is capable of steal-
ing an egg or two from under a sitting bird if the
night be dark, but, judging from the disposition
of the Aard Wolf, such a proceeding is extremely
unlikely.

Again, these animals being nocturnal, is it likely
that a farmer will sit up throughout the night on
the off-chance of seeing a Manhaar Jakhal kill or

72

The jaws of an Aard Wolf, showing the rudimentary condition of the
back or molar teeth. There are four in the upper jaw and two
in the lower jaw. They are quite useless for mastication.

The jaws of a Cape Jackal, showing the powerful back teeth which are
used for rending and tearing fleshy substances. Compare this
mouthful of strong teeth with the feeble ones in the jaws of the
Aard Wolf.

THE AARD OR EARTH WOLF

carry off lambs and kids or break ostrich eggs ?
Is it not likely that the statements of the Hottentot
and other employees whose powers of imagination
are wonderfully developed are accepted as facts
without investigation ? After twenty-five years'
experience I have come to the conclusion that,
while in some of the yarns these natives tell as fact
there is just an element of truth, yet in the majority
there is no element of truth at all.

However, I have made extensive inquiries of
farmers in different parts of the country on the
subject. Some of them declare that the manhaar
does no harm at all ; while others are equally positive
that it kills lambs and even full-grown sheep and
goats. I have statements before me from several
well-known farmers who declare they have seen this
jackal attack lambs and sheep, and even killed them
in the act. Mr. H. R. Wilmot of Alicedale, for
instance, writes in the Farmer's Weekly, nth October
1916 : "I myself have seen a manhaar rush into a
flock of sheep and catch one, and that in broad
daylight too, in sight of the house."

On the contrary, Mr. John Langdon writes to the
Northern News, 2yth November 1918: " The canine
teeth of the Manhaar Jackal are not adapted for
killing stock or any animal whatever. I have con-
ferred with sundry bastards, Bushmen, and Kafirs,
and all bear out that the Manhaar Jackal lives on
insects, tock-tockies, ants, and suchlike ; and they
are never trapped by a carcass unless they come to
73

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

it when decayed, and then it is only to get the
insects, etc., in and under the body.

" I have seen Manhaar Jackals in the Kalahari
often ; they are in droves sometimes. I have seen
as many as fourteen, but generally they are in fives
and sixes — that is, in the Kalahari.

" They get from four to six cubs, and breed in
holes. I have taken five young ones from a hole in
the ground previously made by an ant-bear. The
jackal which kills stock is the red jackal with the
grey back, and perhaps the all-red jackal, which I
have caught by tying a kid at night and setting a
trap or traps, in the same way as the greyback
jackal is caught."

Mr. Thomas Lanham also writes on the subject : —

" Mr. Langdon has sent me the above letter. I
can heartily bear out all he says about the Manhaar
Jackal. This animal is quite harmless to stock ;
any observant farmer will tell you this. A short
time ago I had a flock of sheep at an out-station,
sleeping out in the open (not in a kraal). At night
there were a lot of these Manhaar Jackals staying
close about the spot, and although there were small
lambs in the flock I did not lose one of them."

From another letter on the same subject, the
News extracts the following : —

" I am positively certain they do not eat flesh.
One sees them ferreting about the ground, looking
for beetles, etc., and they do not clear far, and one
hears them whistle for their mates. This they

74

THE AARD OR EARTH WOLF

would not do if the Almighty had made them the
killers of sheep ; and, again, natural history would
teU us better. The « Wehr Wolf,' as it is called,
is no carnivorous animal ; it does as much good as
the Korhaan in killing ants, tock-tockies, etc. I
doubt if a Manhaar Jackal kills mice, or any animal
— only insects, not even birds which lay on the
ground ; they may eat the eggs, but that is
doubtful.

" I have lived on the borders of the Kalahari for
the past thirty years. We have shot everything,
and seen every animal, from the so-called tiger
(leopard) to the meerkat, and seen Manhaar Jackals
in droves of seven to ten or more, but have not seen
them at a carcass, even when the flesh is fresh."

It seems apparent that this jackal, notwith-
standing its defective teeth, does attack and kill
small stock. Finding sheep and lambs easy prey,
the manhaar would naturally become confirmed
in this habit, which would spread by imitation.

An animal driven by hunger readily changes its
natural habits, as we all know. By nature the
manhaar is nocturnal, but numbers of instances
have come under my observation of these animals
dashing out of cover in the daytime and attacking
lambs, sheep, and poultry. If the manhaar has
not already resorted to killing stock on any individual
farm— and I know of numbers of farms where it
does no harm at all — it is not wise to allow it
to freely breed, for, when its species multiply,
75

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

a sufficiency of its natural food will not be avail-
able, and it will certainly become a stock thief.

In the wide trackless stretches of dry country
where vegetation is sparse and termites numerous,
it is unwise to destroy the manhaar, for in such
environment it is performing a work of great
economic value. The termite is an enemy to vege-
tation, and in these dry districts the flora is, even
at the best of seasons, none too abundant. When a
stock farmer in any of these sparsely populated areas
finds the manhaars do not interfere with stock
animals, then he is a foolish man if he deliberately
destroys them.

An award of ten shillings per tail is paid by the
Provincial Government for manhaars killed within
the boundaries of the Cape Province.

Aard Wolf is a S'outh African Dutch name, which
means Earth Wolf, because it lives in burrows like
the Aard Vark, which means Earth Pig. Manhaar
Jakhal is another name for this wolf. It means
Maned Jackal, so called because of the long mane,
which the creature erects at will, when endeavouring
to intimidate an enemy.

One of these animals which I had in captivity
produced two pups at a birth during the month of
December.

In shape this wolf is very hyaena-like, sloping

down from the shoulders. The general colour is a

dirty yellow with a grey tinge. Along the back

for its entire length the hair is long, forming a

76

THE AARD OR EARTH WOLF

black crest which the animal can erect or depress
at will. The shoulders and body are striped with
black ; feet black ; tail about half the length of the
body, bushy and black in colour, each hair being
yellowish at the base, then ringed dark, followed
by a white ring, and the tip black. The under
fur is thick, woolly, and dark slate at the base.
Length of body from nose to root of tail about
three feet.

This wolf can be distinguished from all others by
its rudimentary molar teeth, and feeble incisors.

77

THE BROWN HYAENA OR STRAND WOLF

(Hycena brunnea)
Incuka of the Amaxosa (Stanford)

THE Brown Hyaena in the past was common to
South Africa, particularly so in the coastal districts
on the western side of the country.

When the European settler established himself
in South Africa^, this wolf proved a great pest,
for it preyed on his flocks and herds, and in conse-
quence a war of extermination was waged with
gun, trap, poison, and dogs against it, with the
result that in those districts where it was once
abundant, it is either extinct or rare. It is prob-
ably extinct by now in the Cape Province, but
is still met with in the Kalahari, South-west
Africa, and Western Rhodesia; A specimen of
this hyaena was obtained in the Fish River Bush,
near Grahamstown, some years ago, and this seems
to be the only record of it having occurred in the
eastern part of the Cape Province. It is unknown
in Natal. Beyond the Zambesi these hyaenas
inhabit the western side of the continent as far as
Angola, and on the east as far as British East Africa.
78

Photo : W. S. Berridge.

The Brown Hvaena.

THE BROWN HYAENA OR STRAND WOLF

Brown Hyaenas, like others of the same tribe, are
Nature's scavengers, eating up the leavings of the
lion, leopard, and cheetah, as well as sick, old, or
maimed antelopes and other wild animals. In
fact practically everything of a living nature from
an insect to any warm-blooded animal in a weak
or otherwise defenceless condition, as well as
carrion, forms the diet of this animal. In this
way the Brown Hyaena performed a very necessary
part in the evolution of animal life in eating up
matter which would otherwise decay and poison
the air and the surrounding vegetation, for the
bodies of animals which had died of disease would
be one seething mass of virulent disease microbes,
which, let loose, would infect other animals, and
perchance be the cause of their extermination.
Now, this is by no means the design of Nature,
therefore the hyaena comes along and gorges itself
upon the diseased flesh, and its powerful gastric
juices soon kill off the microbes and digest them,
thus preventing the spread of disease amongst
perhaps an entire herd of animals. Then, again,
it is essential that old, decrepit, or malformed
animals should not be allowed to live and breed,
otherwise the great plan of the Creator in
perfecting the various forms of life would be
marred.

Brown Hyaenas often frequent the sea beaches,
hence the name of Strand Wolf, which means
Beach Wolf. These animals devour anything of

79

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

an eatable nature cast up by the tide, such as crabs,
dead fish, stranded penguins, seals, whales, &c.,
the bodies of which would otherwise putrefy and
taint both water and air, and thus be prejudicial
to other forms of life. If carrion is abundant the
hyaena will not trouble trying to obtain other food,
but this class of food cannot be depended on, so
the Strand Wolf supplements his natural diet with
small mammals, reptiles, the young and eggs of
ground-frequenting birds, and insects.

However, like others of its tribe, including the
wolves and jackals, it does not recognise the right
of the humanfolk to keep flocks and herds of
animals to themselves, so, when chance offers it
levies heavy toll upon them, therefore the hyaena
and man cannot live in proximity. When civilised
man makes his advent, the scavenging services of
the hyaena are no longer needed. Like others of
its kind the Brown Hyaena is a cunning, secretive,
and cowardly animal, hiding away in some secure
retreat during the daytime, and venturing forth
at night, except in remote districts far from the
haunts of man, where it roams about in quest of
food both day and night, with intervals of rest.
The two main factors in determining the habits
of animals are the presence of enemies, and a food
supply. Should enemies be most numerous during
the daylight hours, the tendency is to develop
nocturnal habits : and again, apart from the dread
of enemies, an animal, finding that other creatures
80

THE BROWN HYJENA OR STRAND WOLF

which are good to eat are themselves nocturnal,
it slowly becomes a night prowler also.

Nocturnal animals, in addition to possessing
eyes which enable them to see during the hours
of darkness, have their sense of smell acutely
developed.

In appearance the Brown Hyaena somewhat re-
sembles a Collie dog, but its legs are much shorter.
It is covered with long hair, brown in colour, with
whitish patches on the legs ; the head is greyish
brown, and the forehead blackish, flecked with light
brown. A special feature is a long mantle of coarse
hair hanging down from the neck and back and
reaching below the abdomen. The tail is bushy
and about a foot in length ; and the ears are long
and pointed. From the nose to the root of the
tail the average length is three and a half feet. .

THE SPOTTED HY^NA

(Hycena crocutd)

Also known as the Tijger Wolf and Laughing Hyasna ;
Isadawane of Amaxosa {Stanford) ; Impisi of Zulus,
Swazis, and Matabele ; Kwiri of Basutos (Kirby)

THIS large and powerful hyaena was formerly
common in all parts of South Africa. When the
European settlers first established themselves at
the Cape of Good Hope, the Spotted Hyaena was
quite common there, and haunted the neighbour-
VOL. ii 8 1 6

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

hood of the slaughterhouses. So destructive did
it prove to the settlers' flocks and herds, that every
possible effort was made to destroy it ; and in those
early days when poisons of a suitable nature were
so scarce, and the firearms so crude, it was no easy
matter.

With the exception of a few specimens in the wild
bushy localities in the northern districts of the Cape
Province, this hyaena is extinct south of the Orange
River. In the unfrequented bush-covered parts
of upper Natal a few of these animals are stated to
still survive ; and in the dense tree-covered districts
of Zululand it still exists, becoming more plentiful
in the eastern part of the Transvaal, Portuguese
Territory, and on upwards as far as the Sahara.

When primitive ape-like man ceased to lead an
arboreal life, and arming himself with clubs and
roughly-chipped stone axes, he ventured forth to
secure a more abundant food supply, which the
ground afforded in the shape of roots, bulbs, seeds,
and small living creatures, he found himself beset
by many enemies. He sought out caves in which
to take shelter, and finding them already inhabited
by Spotted Hyaenas, otherwise known as Cave
Hyaenas, he gave them battle, and slaying or
driving them forth, he established himself in
their lairs.

It was formerly considered that the Cave Hyaena
was a different species to the Spotted Hyaena of
to-day, but naturalists are now agreed that the two
82

THE SPOTTED HY^NA

are identical, except that those of prehistoric
times were larger and more powerful. Great
quantities of the bones of the Cave Hysena have
been found in caverns in various parts of Europe
and England, indicating that in ancient times the
distribution of this large hyaena was far greater
than at the present day. In a cave at Madras in
India the tooth of a Cave Hyaena has been found,
and the inference is that the southern parts of
Asia were also inhabited by this species of animal.

The Spotted Hyaena is nocturnal, lying concealed
by day in caverns, recesses under boulders, in the
midst of thorny scrub and matted undergrowth,
and down the holes of Aard Varks or ant-eaters,
the rightful owners having been driven off or de-
voured. From these lairs beaten paths run in all
directions, made by the nightly excursions of the
animal. These hyaenas may be met with in small
troops consisting probably of parents and their
grown-up puppies. At other times they hunt for
food in pairs or singly.

The traveller is soon made aware of the presence
of Spotted Hyaenas, for the stillness of the night is
rudely disturbed by the deep and powerful cry of
these animals, which starts with a prolonged mourn-
ful note, beginning low and gradually rising to a
high pitch. This is the cry of the animals when
they desire to make their whereabouts known to
each other.

The second cry is altogether different, and is

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

usually compared to the wild laugh of a maniac,
which has given rise to the name often applied to
this creature, viz. the Laughing Hyaena. This
maniacal cry is invariably heard during the mating
season, or when these hyaenas are unduly excited
from some other cause. Nothing in the way of
flesh comes amiss to this large hulking beast. It
is a true scavenger, for it will devour flesh in even a
liquid state of putrefaction. Failing a supply of
carrion to satisfy its prodigious appetite, it resorts
to killing and devouring any living thing it is able
to surprise and overpower. It is a poor runner,
and therefore antelopes rarely fall a prey to it. It
steals upon game birds in the night, and should
flocks of migratory locusts, which are such a terrible
pest to man, be in the neighbourhood, they are
devoured by this animal in vast numbers. When
the sun sets these locusts are obliged to roost, for
the cool air partly paralyses them. When trees
are available they swarm upon them, but it is
seldom, except in forest regions, that they find
sufficient of this form of foliage, and consequently
they alight in millions upon the ground and low
bushes, and are thus within reach of prowling
hyaenas, jackals, and scores of other carnivorous
night prowlers. Of course, when in the wingless
stage of development, locusts are at the mercy of
animals day and night, and whole swarms are swept
out of existence by animals such as the Spotted
Hyaena.

Photo: W. S. Berridge.

Spotted Hyaena (Young Specimen).

THE SPOTTED HY^NA

When carrion is insufficient for its needs, and
flocks and herds are in its neighbourhood, it at
once turns its attention to them, and the stock
farmer has a bad time until he succeeds in killing it.

The Spotted Hyaena has large massive teeth and
powerful jaws, enabling it to crush the hardest
bones to fine splinters with ease. In fact, it pos-
sesses stronger jaws and teeth than any other
living animal.

This hyaena invariably attacks stock by first
tearing out the bowels with its terrible teeth,
which at once cripples the animal, allowing it to
fall an easy prey. If a bull or stallion is bold
enough to show fight, the Spotted Hyaena at once
beats a retreat. Hunters, knowing its sneaking,
timid nature, usually hobble their horses, for, if
attacked by a hyaena and finding it impossible to
gallop off, the animals, in desperation, usually brace
themselves to do battle with their foe, and a spirited
horse is no mean antagonist, for he can use his
heels and teeth at times with great effect.

A friend relates an instance of an attack on the
horses of himself and friends when hunting in the
Kalahari. The animals were hobbled, and were
quietly nibbling the sparse vegetation when a pair
of Spotted Hyaenas made a sudden rush from
behind a sandhill. The horses neighed shrilly in
the extremity of their terror, and two fell headlong
in their attempts to gallop away, but one wiry little
Basuto pony, quick as thought, wheeled and made
85

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

a desperate drive with both heels at the nearest
hyaena, which was about to make a grab at him.
One hoof struck the creature a severe blow on the
chest, so severely crippling it that it was subse-
quently captured alive. Its mate instantly fled
when it saw its companion injured.

The Spotted Hyaena is a useful scavenger to the
natives of Africa who live in villages, for, during
the night, they clear up every particle of filth de-
posited on the outskirts of the village. Pressed by
hunger, they sometimes steal amongst the huts
under cover of darkness, if there be no stockade
surrounding them ; and should a child be unwary
enough to be outside a hut, it is instantly seized
and carried off into the neighbouring bush, where
pursuit would be useless.

A traveller in Central Africa informed me he met
several natives who had been mutilated by Spotted
Hyaenas. The beast is too cowardly to attack a
man when awake and active, but should it find him
asleep it will sometimes screw up its courage suffi-
ciently to make a sudden grab, and, tearing away a
mouthful of flesh, it instantly bolts away. One
man had the whole of his cheek thus torn off, and
an eye blinded ; a second had lost his nose and
lips ; a third had a large piece of flesh torn from
his thigh. Several travellers have recorded in-
stances of natives being similarly mutilated by
this beast.

Some of the natives of Central Africa have a habit
86

THE SPOTTED HY^NA

of carrying their dead outside the village, and leaving
the bodies on the ground for the hyaenas to eat.
This they accomplish most effectually, for not a
vestige of the corpse remains in the morning, except
perhaps a few splintered bones which bear witness
to the gruesome feast. This may seem a shocking
way to dispose of the dead, but it is nevertheless
a very hygienic and safe one, for the micro-organ-
isms which were the cause of death are safely en-
tombed within the body of the hyaena, where they
are rapidly killed off and digested.

Although possessed of such fearful teeth and
powerful jaw muscles, backed up by great bodily
strength, the Spotted Hyaena is generally recog-
nised as one of the most cowardly of animals, and
unless brought to bay will not show fight, preferring
always to slink off rather than face even a dog much
inferior in size and strength, and one, moreover,
which it could kill at a single bite.

It invariably attacks large living animals such as
donkeys, horses, and cattle from behind, usually
between the thighs, or from the side under the
abdomen, its object being to tear out the entrails
or make an opening sufficiently large for them
to escape through, and thus render the victim
helpless.

Drummond tells of seven cows which were mor-
tally wounded by one of these hyaenas in a single
night. The cowardly creature tore the udders
completely off.

87

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

So cunning and suspicious is the Spotted Hyaena,
that it is usually of little use to set spring guns and
traps to destroy it. Poisoning meat with strychnine
and leaving it in their haunts is the most effectual
way of killing them. When hyaenas are in the neigh-
bourhood of a stock breeder, he always poisons the
carcases of any of his stock which might die of
disease, and has the carcase deposited at some
considerable distance, where hyaenas and other
troublesome carnivorous animals, scenting it, come
and feast upon it.

There is a widespread belief in South Africa and
elsewhere that the Spotted Hyaena is hermaphro-
dite. This, however, is not so. The belief has
arisen owing to the external appearance of the
reproductive organs of the two sexes being very
similar, and without dissection it is difficult for a
novice to distinguish the sexes.

It is indeed fortunate for the natives of Africa
that this hyaena is of so cowardly a nature, for its
bodily strength is so great that it can carry off a
full-grown man's body, or that of an adult ass.
The tremendously powerful teeth and jaws are
greatly assisted by the large muscles of the neck
and shoulders.

This animal when captured young can be rendered
as tame as any domestic dog, and makes an affec-
tionate pet, responding freely to caresses. It never
loses its nervousness, and any unusual noise or the
sight of a strange dog will cause it to bolt away and

THE SPOTTED HY^NA

hide, or grovel on the ground behind its master.
In Abyssinia, where the towns and villages are
surrounded by walls, the hyaenas do all the sca-
vaging, and take the place of a sanitary service.
The inhabitants leave holes in the city walls, through
which the hyaenas creep in the dead of night to eat
up the refuse. The people before nightfall deposit
all their household filth before their doors, knowing
full well that before morning the hyaenas will have
cleared it all away. In the Soudan and many other
parts of Central and Northern Africa, battles are
frequently fought between rival tribes of natives,
Arabs, and others, no effort being made to bury the
dead, which indeed would be so much wasted
energy, for what remnants of the bodies the hyaenas
might leave are devoured by other carnivorous
animals or carrion birds.

Because of the sanitary services performed by
these animals, they are not interfered with in those
regions, although they at times destroy numbers
of sheep ; but so well guarded by the shepherd are
the flocks that a chance for a meal of mutton seldom
presents itself.

In the Spotted Hyaena we have a remarkable
example of an animal possessing prodigious strength,
powerful jaws, and terrible teeth, of so cowardly a
nature that, should an animal with few if any powers
of defence present a bold and threatening front, it
will slink away in abject fear. This trait of char-
acter makes it clear that a brain centre which is

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

strong and active in the lion, tiger, and most others
of the cat tribe, is small and inactive in the Spotted
Hyaena. If the brain of one of these animals and
that of a lion or tiger be compared, it will be ob-
served that the area claimed by phrenologists to
be the brain centre which gives rise to aggressive-
ness and brute courage generally is large and convex
in these cats, and comparatively small in the hyaena.
The Spotted Hyaena is doomed to extinction in
South Africa in the not distant future. Its mission as
one of Nature's scavengers is at an end. Civilised
man has no need for it, for his advanced powers of
intellect have devised better ways and means of ren-
dering harmless all insanitary matter, than allowing
it to be eaten up by these skulking scavengers. In
the northern parts of South Africa the battle is at
its height, and before the hyaena is finally vanquished
considerable numbers of domestic animals will fall
victims to it, for, lacking carrion which is its natural
food, and driven by the pangs of hunger, it takes
every opportunity of devouring the stock of the
farmer. In the struggle for existence animals, as
well as man, change their habits and ways to a re-
markable degree, and the Spotted Hyaena is no
exception.

In general bulk the Spotted Hyaena is not unlike
an adult mastiff dog, but it is very different in shape.
The body is massive and bulky in front, tapering
off towards the hindquarters, which are about four
inches lower than the shoulders. The fur is woolly
90

THE SPOTTED HY^NA

and of a soiled yellow ; and numbers of the animals
are more or less mangy-looking.

The Spotted Hyaena is so-called because of the
numerous black or dark brown, more or less round
spots, which cover the entire back and sides. These
spots vary a good deal in colour, arrangement, and
distinctness.

91

THE BLACK-BACKED JACKAL

(Canis mesomelas)

Also known as the Cape Jackal, Rooi Jakhals, Red Jackal,
Golden Jackal ; among the Swazis, Zulus, and Amaxosa
it is called the Impungutshe ; Bechuanas as the
Pukuye.

THIS well-known Red or Black-backed Jackal is an
inhabitant of Africa from the Cape to Middle
Nubia, in situations where the environment is
suited to its existence.

In South Africa it is very widespread, and in the
bush-covered districts it abounds in spite of the
most strenuous efforts of farmers to exterminate it.

The jackal is a member of the dog tribe, and so
close is the relationship with domestic dogs that
there is no difficulty in getting it to breed freely
with them.

The Black-backed Jackal is an animal of almost
the size of a collie dog, and is nocturnal in its habits.
In the wilder districts, however, which are far re-
moved from the European colonist, it is frequently
seen abroad during the daytime ; but it has long
since learned to dread the white man with his gun,
92

THE BLACK-BACKED JACKAL

and consequently takes the greatest of precautions
to conceal itself when he is about.

During the daytime it lies securely hidden in
the dense, matted scrub, from which it issues forth
at night in search of food, which consists of almost
any kind of living creature it is able to overpower,
or any carrion it may be able to find. It is a cow-
ardly, treacherous, and secretive animal.

If run down by dogs, the jackal offers little or
no resistance, often lying flat upon the ground with
its head between its forepaws. At other times it
snaps viciously, and is capable of inflicting nasty
flesh wounds ; but when seized it seems to become
almost paralysed with fear, and meekly allows itself
to be killed.

When attacked by small dogs which it realises are
afraid to boldly rush in and seize it, the jackal
dashes right and left at them, uttering a sharp cack-
ling noise ; and should it succeed in laying hold
of one of its tormentors, it inflicts a very severe
bite, for its teeth are strong and sharp, and its jaws
powerful.

I have never known or heard of a jackal deliber-
ately attacking a man. I have seen instances of old
male jackals, when wounded or brought to bay by
dogs, offering a most threatening front when the
owner of the dogs approached to within a few paces,
snapping and clashing his teeth together viciously
at him, but not showing any disposition to attack
him.

93

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

If captured in the very young puppy condition,
these jackals may be rendered as tame as any do-
mestic dog. A friend reared one, and had it for
many years. When released from its chain it
showed its delight in true canine fashion, racing,
gambolling, and jumping up against its master with
its forepaws ; or throwing itself on its back on the
ground. It followed its owner about like an affec-
tionate dog, but it was necessary for it to be secured
on a chain most of the time, owing to a habit it
could not overcome of poaching poultry from folk
in the neighbourhood.

One day we were out in the veld with this jackal
a couple of miles from home, and for a change it
was taken off the chain. From out of some bushes
adjacent, a youth emerged with a pair of Fox Terrier
dogs. These little fellows made a dash at the jackal,
which instantly turned tail and fled in the wildest
terror, galloping along at its utmost speed, to vanish
anon in the midst of some thick thorny scrub a
mile distant. Returning home, we saw no sign
of the jackal, and concluded we had seen the last
of it ; but the following morning it was dis-
covered lying quietly sleeping in its kennel in
the yard.

The jackal finds it safer to hide away in the dense
tangled undergrowth, than to trust itself to a burrow,
unless when hard pressed by dogs, when it gener-
ally takes refuge underground, usually in the hole
of an Aard Vark ; but if there should be any dense

94

A Cape Jackal emerging from cover.

Issuing from its leafy lair at nightfall, the Cape or Black-backed
Jackal seeks out and devours the young ostriches, kids, and
lambs of the farmer.

THE BLACK-BACKED JACKAL

bush or scrub within reasonable distance, it makes
for it and disregards any holes it may pass.

When the time is approaching for establishing a
home and rearing a family, the jackal makes a bur-
row, or takes possession of a deserted Aard Vark's
hole ; and in the bottom of this a family of puppies
is reared. Five to six pups at a birth seem to be
the average. As many as nine have been recorded.

For the first two or three days the mother stays
with the cubs a good deal in the hole, but after that
she keeps away in the thick scrub, and returns during
the evening and before daylight to suckle them.
Sometimes the burrow is made amongst the boulders
on the side of a krantz, or some other rocky situa-
tion. In these instances the mother jackal enters
the hole freely, for she is well aware her human or
canine foes cannot dig her out, for nothing less than
blasting would avail. A farmer who has for many
years past made a practice of hunting for the breed-
ing burrows of jackals with terrier dogs, and digging
out the young ones, informs me that only on one
occasion did he ever find an adult jackal in a hole.
In this instance it was a mother which had just
given birth to her litter of puppies.

A rather remarkable fact is the occurrence of
young jackals and porcupines in the same burrow.
Mr. S. Bonnin Hobson, in the Cape Agricultural
Journal, writes that he frequently found porcupines
and jackal puppies in the same burrow, and that
when he dug them out, the puppies took refuge
95

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

behind the porcupines, which killed several of his
dogs at different times when they attempted to get
at the young jackals behind the porcupine's array
of formidable quills.

Young jackals often baffle terrier dogs which are
sent into their burrows, by scratching a small side
burrow, and blocking up the entrance from the main
burrow by scraping dirt into the opening. The
dog follows the main burrow to the end, and fails
to detect the hidden puppies. If a hole contain-
ing puppies is found, and should the finder
return in a few hours, or the following day, to dig
them out, he will find the burrow deserted. The
watchful mother, from the neighbouring scrub, or
from behind a bush on the veld, has seen him find
the burrow, and the instant he disappeared from
view she raced off, and, seizing the pups in her mouth,
she carried them, one at a time, to some place of
security. Instances have been known of the parents
carrying a litter of five or six puppies a couple of
miles in a single night. The puppies must have
been carried, for they were too young to walk.

Mr. Cloete, the well-known and oft-quoted ob-
server, gives the following interesting account of
the jackal's domestic arrangements : " The young
ones have almost always a ' back door,' by which
they can escape. This is just large enough for the
puppies to squeeze through, whatever their size ;
as a rule as soon as the terriers go down the earth
in which there are young ones, they fly out of one

f I

"~ C

•g'«

._ 4;

"!.!

11

5 «

THE BLACK-BACKED JACKAL

of these ' back door ' holes through which, as a
rule, the terriers are unable to follow ; and, should
there be no one to intercept them on the surface,
make away into the veld as hard as they can. The
parents are very rarely found in the holes with the
young ones ; they are generally lying in the nearest
patch of bush, and may often be seen watching the
proceedings from a safe distance."

The puppies at birth are little helpless creatures,
just i like the pups of the domestic dog, and are
suckled by the mother until they are old enough to
eat solid food. Then both parents diligently forage
around in all directions for food for the ravenous
youngsters. Nothing in the way of flesh food comes
amiss. If the parent jackals should kill an animal
which is too large to carry away, they gorge them-
selves with the meat, and disgorge it for the puppies.
If they are able to carry the provender in their
mouths, they always do so in preference to swallow-
ing it. When carrion is plentiful, the jackal satisfies
its appetite upon it, and does not interfere with
other creatures of veld and forest. It is one
of Nature's scavengers, and in the past filled an
important niche in the economy of Nature. For
instance, in the distant past South Africa was swarm-
ing with animal life both large and small, and the
jackals belonged to what we might term Nature's
Sanitary Corps. When an animal died, instead of
its body putrefying and poisoning the atmosphere,
the jackals gathered in scores and ate up every
VOL. ii 97 7

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

particle of the flesh, and even cracked the bones and
licked out the marrow. Should an animal have
died of disease and its carcase left on the veld or
in the bush to decompose, vast swarms of harmful
microbes, alive and active, would have been released
to infect the grass and other herbage, or pollute
the water, causing frequent epidemics of disease
amongst animals.

The microbe-swarming flesh of the dead animal
in the stomach of a jackal is very quickly digested,
and thus rendered antiseptic. So the jackal in the
past was not only a useful agent in keeping the air
wholesome and pure, but in addition acted as a
check on the spread of infectious diseases. It still
renders excellent service to natives in many parts
of Africa, who would otherwise suffer far more than
they do from diseases due to their ignorance and
carelessness in regard to the disposal of infectious
matter. In the past, jackals picked up a good
living by acting the part of camp followers to the
herds of game animals, knowing full well that in
their frequent battles the males often maimed or
killed one another. These dead or crippled animals
soon vanished into the stomachs of a horde of
skulking jackals.

Ever and anon one of the herd of antelopes would
be killed by a lion, and, after satisfying his appetite,
he and his mate would retire for a drink, and then
away to their lair for a doze, leaving the remainder
of their repast to the jackals.

THE BLACK-BACKED JACKAL

When lions are out on the prowl for food, the
jackals are not far off ; and when the lord and lady
of the forest are satisfying their appetites off the
flesh of some animal they have slain, the hungry
jackals skulk around in the neighbouring bushes, or
at a respectful distance out on the veld ; and the
instant the lions retire they rush in and eat up every
morsel of the leavings.

Hunters are often dreadfully pestered by jackals,
which take every opportunity of chewing up the
reims, which are the softened thongs of animal hide
for securing the oxen, £c. When a hunter happens
to kill an animal many miles from his camp, he on
his return some hours later with pack animals or a
cart, finds, perchance, nothing but a skeleton and
a crowd of jackals fiercely quarrelling over the
marrow bones.

A hunter invariably has a crowd of jackals sur-
rounding his camp at night, attracted by the smell
of the flesh of the game animals he has killed.

In the absence of carrion, the jackal kills and
devours any living thing which is unable to resist.
So cowardly, however, is it, that animals consider-
ably smaller than itself which are courageous and
fight fiercely, the jackal leaves severely alone. The
smaller antelopes, hares, game birds, their young
and eggs ; lizards, rats, mice, small tortoises, in-
sects, and in fact any of the numerous more or less
defenceless creatures of veld, forest, and mountain
it preys upon.

99

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

Since the advent of the European colonist into
South Africa, the antelopes and larger carnivorous
animals have been considerably reduced in numbers,
and in consequence the jackal's menu has shrunk
alarmingly, for it depended to a considerable extent
upon the bodies of the sick and crippled antelopes,
or those killed in combat, as well as the leavings of
the large carnivorous animals. Its main source of
food being thus cut off, the jackal seeks to make a
living by helping himself to the colonists' domestic
animals. As a destroyer of the smaller antelopes
and game birds, the jackal has few rivals. How-
ever, these creatures are jealously guarded by man,
not because of their economic value, but to afford
him the pleasure of hunting and killing them ;
therefore, if destruction of game was the only
damage done by the jackal, it would in no way
retard the development of the country.

The jackal is one of those animals which have been
of much service in Nature's evolutionary processes,
but when Man the Masterpiece makes his advent
with his flocks and herds, the jackal is no longer
needed, and consequently becomes one of those
animals which sentence of death must be pro-
nounced upon. In Great Britain the relatives of
the Cape Jackal have been exterminated by man
after a long and arduous conflict, and the process
of elimination is proceeding rapidly in other
countries.

In South Africa the fight is being waged all over
100

THE BLACK-BACKED JACKAL

the country, which in course of time must inevitably
end in the extermination of the jackal. However,
owing to the nature of some portions of the country,
the time will be far distant before that desirable
end can be attained.

The weapons of the colonist, in the shape of fire-
arms, dogs, traps, and poison, are opposed by the
jackal with a brain developed to a high pitch of
cunning, the acutest of hearing, sight, powers of
scent and taste. With these faculties, combined
with the cover which the dense, matted, thorny
scrub affords him, the jackal has so far not only
been able to hold his own in the battle in many
districts, but has actually considerably increased
in numbers.

To trap a jackal, extra special precautions must
be taken, and even so it is doubtful if the animal*
will be captured, so suspicious has it become. When
a jackal sallies forth in search of a meal, all its facul-
ties are keenly on the alert. If man learns by experi-
ence, so too does the jackal.

Even poisoned bait is frequently unsuccessful,
for the reason that the jackal's senses of taste and
smell being so highly developed, it easily detects
the poison and refuses to eat the bait.

Strychnine is the poison usually employed. A
plan which meets with a fair share of success is
to make balls of fat about the size of marbles, in
the centre of each of which a fatal dose of strych-
nine has been introduced. These are placed
101

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

in a bag, and taken to the haunts of jackals.
They are then taken up one at a time with a
pair of forceps, or some other contrivance, and
singed to destroy all human smell or scent. They
are then placed under a bush where the sun
cannot melt them. This plan frequently fails,
for the jackal often detects the human scent left
upon the ground by the feet of the placer of the
poisoned bait. A better plan would be to
remain mounted on a horse, and drop the
prepared bait without dismounting, after care-
fully singeing it. If in addition a lump of de-
caying meat were trailed along the track taken
by the rider, a jackal, picking up the scent,
would follow it to the places where poisoned
bait was lying.

The use of poison in this way at times does much
mischief, for the smaller carnivorous animals and
some useful birds eat the poisoned bait and perish.
Some of the species of small carnivorous animals
do a considerable amount of service to man, for
their chief diet consists of rats, mice, and noxious in-
sects. The Secretary Bird frequently falls a victim to
the poisoned bait laid for jackals ; and all observers
of the habits of this bird cannot but admit that it
fulfils an important mission in the economy of
nature, and is of much economic value to man. On
reference to the back numbers of the various South
African agricultural journals, there may be found
an abundance of writings on the destructiveness of
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THE BLACK-BACKED JACKAL

the jackal, and the various methods suggested and
employed to get rid of it.

The jackal is at the present time the worst form
of vermin with which man has to contend in his
struggle to colonise South Africa. Regarded from
an economic point of view, the jackal has few
virtues. The only real service he renders us is the
destruction of rats, mice, and some kinds of noxious
insects, including that dreaded pest the migratory
locust.

We cannot blame him for refusing to die of star-
vation so long as there are tender lambs, kids,
poultry, and young ostriches to be had, for we have
robbed him of his birthright in the shape of the
various game animals and birds. However, as
man spreads over the land the jackal must vanish,
for the two cannot live in proximity in peace. It
is but the operation of the law of the survival of
the fittest.

The Cape Jackal has developed a new vice.
It has discovered that by banging ostrich eggs
against each other, or on stones, it can break them
and so gain access to the nourishing contents.
So secretive and cunning is the jackal, that it is
often able to quietly steal the eggs from beneath
the sitting birds during the hours of darkness, and
rolling them quietly away by gentle pushes with
its nose, and finding a convenient stone, they are
broken by being tilted against it.

In several parts of the country where the nature
103

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

of the ground and bush makes it possible, the jackals
are hunted more or less successfully by men on horse-
back, accompanied by packs of hounds. In the
neighbourhood of Port Elizabeth, jackals are still
quite plentiful, and may occasionally be seen after
sundown. However, a momentary glimpse is usu-
ally all that is obtained, for the eyes, nose, and ears
of a jackal are three highly-developed avenues
through which it becomes acquainted with the
approach of enemies.

At dusk one evening, as I walked in the vicinity
of some dense thorny scrub at Port Elizabeth, a
Grysbuck antelope, in its haste and terror, almost
collided with me. It had barely vanished into the
bush before two jackals, with noses to the ground,
broke through the bushes at the spot where the buck
had appeared. Their pace carried them a couple
of yards or so out into the open, and, catching sight
of me, they swerved round, and in an instant were
gone. They had evidently been very hot on the
trail of the little buck.

When camped out under a creeper-covered shrub
in the forest, wrapped in a waterproof blanket and
with a couple of faithful dogs to do sentry duty, the
low wailing cries of the jackals, which at intervals
break the stillness of the night, sound almost
uncanny. It begins with a mournful wail, and ends
with what might be construed into a cynical laugh.
My companion on one of these occasions was a
young man who had never slept anywhere but in a
104

THE BLACK-BACKED JACKAL

comfortable bed in his home, with the knowledge that
a policeman was on the beat outside to guard him
from harm. I obtained little or no sleep that night,
for, whenever a jackal cried out, an owl hooted, a
wild cat screamed, or the Bush Babies rustled the
branches overhead, he would start up with an ex-
clamation of alarm and grab hold of me. However,
after a few weeks he grew so used to the strange and
weird noises of the veld and forest by night, that
he slept peacefully.

When brought to bay, the jackal utters what Mr.
Cloete describes as a quacking or cackling noise.
When desiring to attract the attention of the
puppies, it gives vent to a low grunting kind of
sound, or perhaps better described as a series of
low muffled barks.

Jackals usually associate in pairs. Often a mother
jackal may be observed hunting with her last litter
of puppies, which she is teaching to hunt. At such
times they are particularly bold and destructive.
A farmer relates an instance of a mother jackal and
five half-grown pups killing fifty out of seventy-five
valuable Angora kids in a single night. Only one
or two were eaten. The rest were killed, and
left upon the veld. On another occasion eleven
goat kids were killed within a few hundred yards
of the kraal, by a single jackal. None of the
bodies were touched, the jackal having evidently
become alarmed. One carcase was poisoned with
strychnine, and the following night the jackal
105

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

returned and dined, and in the morning was
found dead. The destruction wrought to the
stock of the farmer by jackals, especially in
the Cape Midlands, is immense.

The only way by which a farmer in jackal-
infested districts can succeed in saving his stock,
is to erect what is known as jackal- proof wire
fencing, and shutting up his stock in secure kraals
at night.

In the past, the Cape Government paid js. 6d.
each for jackals' tails, and, although hundreds of
thousands of pounds were spent, the jackals in-
creased in numbers. Until the country becomes
more thickly populated, and the vast masses of
dense, thorny scrub and prickly-pear-covered lands
are cleared, the jackal will continue to thrive and
levy toll upon the pioneer farmer.

The pelt of the Black-backed Jackal is utilised by
the natives for making karosses. It suits this pur-
pose admirably, for the fur is close, soft, and thick,
and the blackish silver-spangled back, bordered
with red, has a handsome appearance. In size this
jackal is slightly larger than an adult English fox,
and is very similar in shape. The whole of the
back is covered with what seems to be a black patch
interspersed freely with grey. However, on close
examination of the under fur of the back, it will be
noticed to be fine and woolly, and reddish-yellow
in colour. Beyond this, long hairs grow which are
black at the tip and base, with the median portion
106

THE SIDE-STRIPED JACKAL

white. The sides of the body are bright rufous.
This does not blend with the grey-black of the back,
but is separated by a black line. The head is rufous,
tail long and bushy, the hairs of which are yellowish
at the base, with black tips, which is more pro-
nounced near the end of the tail, making it appear
black.

THE SIDE-STRIPED JACKAL

(Canis adustus)

THE Side-striped Jackal is unknown in the Cape
Province. It is found in Zululand and the Trans-
vaal, and extends northwards through Rhodesia to
Central Africa.

I have, so far, not observed this jackal in the wild
condition, but it is stated to hunt in packs, except
when persecuted by man, when it takes to dense
cover, and separates in pairs or roams about singly.
Occasionally a mother and her half-grown cubs
are seen.

These jackals prey on any kind of animal they
are able to overpower, and also on any form of
carrion, and even insects. They are stated to be
partial to the fruit of the oil-palm. Like its
cousin the Black-backed Jackal, this species is
easily tamed, and will breed freely with domestic
dogs.

The following careful description by VY. L. Sclater,
107

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

in the Fauna oj South Africa, will enable the reader
to identify this jackal :

" Form rather stout ; general colour silvery grey,
rather blacker on the back ; on either side of the
body a more or less distinct diagonal white stripe,
with a similar black one bordering it below ; the
hair on the back is long, from three to four inches,
and consists of a rather coarse, pale reddish under-
fur, beyond which project longer black hairs with a
broad white sub-terminal band ; the regular ar-
rangement of the bands on these long hairs causes
the side stripe ; head speckly-grey with a rufous
tinge, ears short, about three inches long only,
posteriorly the same colour as the head, anteriorly
with a few long white hairs ; chin pale brown con-
trasting with the rufous-brown throat and chest ;
limbs with a slight rufous -brown tinge and traces of
a black transverse band above the hocks on the hind
legs ; tail about half the length of the head, and
body covered with long hairs, but not so brush-like
as in the other species ; basal third yellowish,
distal two-thirds mingled black and yellowish, tip
pure white.

" The female is considerably lighter in colour,
much less rufous, and with the side stripes very
faintly marked."

It is not, however, usually necessary to puzzle
through all the above detail to recognise the differ-
ence between the two species. The following is
the chief difference :

1 08

THE SIDE-STRIPED JACKAL

Black- backed Jackal — Back silvery black, sides of
body and legs rufous, tail bushy and blackish for the
greater part of its length.

Side-striped Jackal — Whole body silvery grey,
somewhat darker on the back ; a diagonal white
side stripe.

109

THE SILVER FOX OR VAAL JAKHALS

(Futyes cbama)

Also known as the Cama Fox and Draai Jakhals ;
Basuto — Mopheme.

FOXES are members of the carnivorous or flesh-
eating class of animals, and are close relatives of the
wolves, jackals, and dogs. Foxes inhabit North
America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. They are even
found in the Arctic Regions.

In South Africa there are two kinds or species.
One is the beautiful little Silver Fox, otherwise
known as the Vaal Jakhals. Although generally
distributed throughout South Africa, it is nowhere
common. It is confined to Africa south of the
Zambesi, including Namaqualand and Bechuana-
land. The Silver Fox is slender and graceful in
appearance. It is partial to the more open, dry
districts, and is nocturnal in its habits. During
the daytime it usually lies hidden in a lair on the
ground in the midst of a thick bush, tall grass, or
whatever suitable shelter the neighbourhood affords.
A favourite hiding place is the thick, matted, thorny
scrub, so common in South Africa. These bushes
no

THE SILVER FOX OR VAAL JAKHALS

are so thick and thorny that only animals of slender
build are able to creep in under them.

The deserted holes of Aard Varks, when available,
are taken possession of by Silver Foxes. In these,
or in burrows excavated by themselves, the young
are born and reared. A common custom of this
fox is to enlarge the deserted burrows of Spring-
hares, and other animals whose holes are too small
for the requirements of the Silver Fox.

This fox is rarely seen by man, owing to its noc-
turnal habits, its timid, wary, and secretive disposi-
tion, and its yellowish fur, which blends so closely
with its surroundings. For these reasons, and the
fact that it does not molest domestic animals in any
way, comparatively little is known of its habits.

From the nature of the country it inhabits,
combined with its extremely timid character, there
can be no doubt but that rats, mice, lizards,
insects, berries and bulbs constitute its chief diet.
In captivity it soon becomes tame, but retains its
timid nature. The slightest noise of an unusual
kind will cause it to start convulsively. The sudden
apparition of a dog sends it into an extremity of fear.

The Silver Fox usually produces its litter of pups
at the side of or under a stunted shrub on the open,
dry, sun-baked veld.

One which I had in captivity ate freely of a mixed
diet, consisting of most of the usual foodstuffs eaten
by man.

Fruit, boiled bread and milk, mincemeat, and
in

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

mice were always appreciated. Once when locusts
were abundant I let it loose, and its activity in
seizing and devouring these pests was great. It
had evidently been in the habit of eating them
when in the wild condition, for the instant it saw
them it became greatly excited. Leading it by its
chain over the site of a colony of underground
termites or " White Ants," it at once began to
dig, and after an interval succeeded in scraping out
a flattish piece of clay, which it nipped. That
bit of clay proved to be the royal cell of the queen
termite ; and with the greatest of eagerness the
fox drew out the creature's fat body, which was
as big as a man's thumb, and greedily ate it up. It'
then licked up a goodly number of termites with
its tongue, and resisted when I drew it away, having
satisfied myself that termites constituted a portion
of the diet of Silver Foxes.

This fox never showed any disposition to attack
adult fowls. Once it lay concealed under a bush
watching a brood of newly-hatched chickens. One
of these lagged behind its mother, and the fox made
a rush and seized it in its mouth. The chicken
chirped in distress, whereupon the mother hen flew
at the fox and attacked it so fiercely that it instantly
dropped the chicken and fled in wild alarm. For
nearly a day it lay hidden in a neighbouring bush,
and refused to come in answer to my calls. It
never again showed any disposition to make a meal
of a chicken.

112

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THE SILVER FOX OR VAAL JAKHALS

Having never been known to interfere with man
and his possessions, this gentle little fox should
not be wantonly persecuted. It at the present
time fulfils a duty which is of much importance to
man, in helping to keep in check hosts of injurious
insects, including the destructive Migratory Locust
and some of the most troublesome of the species
of termites. In addition, it renders valuable service
in reducing the numbers of rats and mice native to
South Africa, as they breed with alarming rapidity,
and, in consequence, unless preyed upon by many
enemies would rapidly become a curse to the farmer.

The time will probably come when these foxes,
and a number of other species of our native animals
which are at present rendering us such valuable
service, will have served their purpose. They will
have accomplished the work for which the Creator
evolved them, and will take their place among the
many creatures which God has no further use for
in the great work of the Evolution of Man.

So long as there are vast stretches of sparsely
populated country, it is exceedingly unwise for man
to thoughtlessly interfere with the balance of Nature
in the animal kingdom.

The name Draai, which is a South African Dutch
word meaning " turn," is given to this animal owing
to the hare-like swiftness with which it can double
or turn when racing at full speed.

The Silver Fox can easily be distinguished from
any of the jackals by its more slender build, thin
VOL. ii 113 8

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

pointed muzzle, big bushy tail, and large ears. Its
colour is fawny-yellow with a silvery appearance
on the back. The tail has a reddish tinge and is
black at the tip.

DELALANDE'S FOX

(Otocyon megalotis)

Also known as the Cape Fennec ; Desert Fox ; Bakoor
or Basin-eared Jackal j and by the Bechuanas as the
Motlose

DELALANDE'S Fox inhabits the western parts of
South Africa, and extends through Central Africa
as far as Somaliland. It is not apparently confined
entirely to the dry western parts of the country, for
it is known to occur in the eastern portion of the
Transvaal. Numbers of specimens have been pro-
cured from Griqualand West.

It is an inhabitant of the dry, open country, and is
met with either singly or in pairs.

In the wild state its food consists of rats, mice,
locusts, termites, and other insects, supplemented
by the eggs and young of ground birds and berries,
fruits and bulbs.

In captivity it is omnivorous, eating freely of
fresh vegetables, fruits, meat, bread and milk, &c.

When captured young this fox can easily be tamed,
and will follow its owner about like a dog. A friend
114

DELALANDE'S FOX

had one of these foxes which he captured out on
the karoo at Prieska. It was one of a litter of five
which he caused to be dug out of a deserted hole
of an Aard Vark. At the time my friend possessed
a cat which had recently given birth to some kittens.
He drowned thelatter,and after the bereaved mother
cat had been allowed to pine for her kittens for a
day, he diplomatically introduced the little help-
less fox puppy to her, and to his delight she imme-
diately adopted and suckled it as if it had been her
own kitten. It soon grew strong and became ex-
tremely playful, and it was indeed a pleasing sight
to see the graceful little creature romping around,
racing off full speed, doubling rapidly round a bush,
dashing back, tumbling, rolling and springing into
the air in a very abandonment of light-heartedness.
There was an old rooster which stalked around in
a lordly sort of way. The fox teased him most
unmercifully. Secreting itself, it would suddenly
bound out and make pretence of springing on the
old cock, and in a variety of other ways giving
shocks to the poor old fellow's nervous system, so
that in time he got that he was almost afraid of his
own shadow. The fox never attempted to injure
any of the poultry. It could not be trusted, how-
ever, when young chickens were about, and when
an opportunity occurred it would snap one up and
steal off quietly and furtively into cover, eat up the
dainty morsel, and come out looking unconcerned
and innocent.

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

This tame fox was horribly afraid of strange dogs,
and the sight of one sent it into an extremity of fear,
and at such times it would dash madly away, making
for the nearest cover, and once it obtained sanctuary
nothing could induce it to show itself for hours
afterwards. One day my friend was walking along
a country road with his foxy chum trotting behind
him when, from a neighbouring Kafir kraal, a mon-
grel dog dashed out. The fox made off full speed
in the opposite direction, and was lost to view in a
dense belt of thorny bushes. For hours its owner
sought for it, ever and anon calling its name and
clapping his hands, which was the signal it had been
taught to respond to. The following day the entire
bush was searched, but no trace of the fox could be
obtained. On the morning of the third day my
friend was gratified, on going out of his room, to
find his chum, the fox, out in the yard. When it
saw its master it was wild with delight. With age
it became more confident, and used to make long
excursions alone over the veld in search of insects
and other small forms of life, and one day it wandered
farther than usual and was suddenly confronted by
a man with a gun who, mistaking it for a wild fox,
shot and killed it. About a week later my friend
happened to call at the farm of the man who shot
the fox, and in the course of conversation he went
on to relate how he had shot a wonderful fox-like
animal out on the veld, and proudly produced the
skin. My friend recognised it as the skin of his
116

S.&6

DELALANDE'S FOX

little chum, and what he said to that farmer had
better not be repeated.

This species of fox was first brought to notice
by a French traveller of the name of Delalande,
and was named Delalande's Fox in consequence.
It is nocturnal, but occasionally ventures forth by
day in the more secluded parts of the country. So
great is its fear of man that when living in his vicinity
it is strictly nocturnal. It is an innocent, inoffen-
sive animal, and there are no authenticated instances
of it ever having attacked domestic animals. It is
a creature which certainly should be protected, for
the reason that it destroys rats, mice, and noxious
insects. In those districts where the termite or
" White Ant " abounds it subsists almost, if not
entirely, upon these insects. However, whether an
animal is useful or not does not seem to weigh in
the slightest with many people, whose sole idea of
the lower animals is that they furnish a legitimate
means of gratifying a destructive animal instinct
which is inherited from our barbarian ancestors.
The native races in South Africa hunt and kill the
animals and birds of the country indiscriminately,
and unless this senseless slaughter is checked, num-
bers of birds and animals which are fairly common
to-day will, within the next fifty years, be either
extremely rare, or actually extinct in South
Africa.

Delalande's Fox, for instance, which is so good
a friend to man in a variety of ways, is relentlessly
117

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

hunted by the natives of Bechuanaland, who utilise
its skin for making karosses.

A full-grown specimen of this fox is of about the
same size as an English fox. Its body and legs
are slender and graceful. It has a beautiful coat of
thick and rather long fur, silvery grey in colour, the
under-fur being pale yellow ; legs black, tail bushy
for its entire length, and black at the tip ; ears very
large. Average length of body, two feet.

118

THE CAPE HUNTING DOG OR
WILDE HONDE

(Lycaon pictus venations)

Known to the Zulus as the Inkentyane (Drummond) or
Inkentshana (Kirby) ; the Swazis as the 'Budaja (Kirby) ;
Basutos, the Matshabidi (Kirby) ; Amaxosa, the Ixwili
(Stanford)

BOOKS of travel and hunting in South Africa make
frequent reference to this formidable wild dog, which
scours the country in packs of from a few individ-
uals to half a hundred or more. However, the usual
number in a pack is a dozen to twenty, for the reason,
no doubt, that in small bodies they are enabled to
hunt down their prey more efficiently, and as it
generally takes the shape of a large antelope, there
is sufficient to satisfy the appetite of each of the
dogs.

The Cape Hunting Dog occurs in all parts of
Africa from the Cape of Good Hope to Somaliland
and Abyssinia.

These wild dogs are ever on the move. To-day
a pack may be in one locality, and to-morrow, fifty
or a hundred miles away.

119

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

In the distant past they served a good and useful
purpose in checking the too rapid increase of the
game animals, which would otherwise have increased
in numbers to such an extent that the vegetation
of the country would not have supplied their needs,
and starvation, dire and complete, would have over-
taken them. In those days the wild dogs had few,
if any, natural enemies. True, a lion could easily
master one if it should happen to be caught alone,
but the lordly lion disdained the flesh of the wild
dog, and only attacked it at such times as when, in
the act of devouring some animal it had killed, the
wild dogs became over venturesome in endeavouring
to snatch up a mouthful or two of the meat.

The males fought fiercely amongst themselves,
and in this way, no doubt, numbers were killed.
However, they were probably kept in check mainly
by disease epidemics.

On the advent of the pigmy Bushman, the Wilde
Honde for the first time had a serious and formid-
able rival. The Bushmen were a race of hunters.
They knew not the art of tilling the ground, nor did
they tame and rear animals for food. They were
in what is known as the Hunter phase of culture
or development, and, like the Wilde Honde, they
hunted the game animals of the country for food.

The Wilde Honde and the Bushmen were bitter
enemies, for they were rivals, and frequently came
in contact in consequence. The dog was no match
for the nimble Bushman, armed with a bow and

120

CAPE HUNTING DOG OR WILDE HONDE

quiver full of poisoned arrows, the slightest punc-
ture from one of which resulted in death.

When the strong and warlike Kafir tribes swept
down from the north and spread over South Africa,
the wild dog had a still more formidable enemy, for
they had a habit of gathering together in great
bodies and making organised attacks by surrounding
packs of these wild dogs which made such persistent
attacks upon their stock. Lacking firearms, the
Kafirs, however, could not make much headway
against such fleet and cunning enemies, and, acting
on the defensive, they resorted to carefully shutting
up their stock in kraals at night, and guarding them
during the daytime when at pasture.

When the European colonist made his appearance
in the country, he found it overrun with Cape
Hunting Dogs, which are as big as an average-sized
mastiff. These large, powerful, fleet and cunning
animals ever and anon swooped down upon his
flocks and herds and devastated them. Should the
shepherd doze and allow his flock to wander to a
distance, a pack of wild dogs, which had been watch-
ing from afar, with a swinging but swift gallop
would dash among the sheep or goats, and even if
the shepherd should appear almost at once upon
the scene, these bold and bloodthirsty animals will
already have mortally wounded scores of them.
They are never content to attack and devour a few.
Once in the midst of a flock of sheep or goats, they
kill and rend until the ground is drenched with

121

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

blood and strewn with their dead and dying
victims.

So bold were they in the past that the presence
of a shepherd was often ignored. Watching their
opportunity, a dash would be made from out of some
adjacent cover, or from over a hillock, and within
five minutes a score of sheep would be slain and
partly devoured before the cries of the shepherd
and the firing of his gun frightened them off. So
closely does the colour of their fur blend with the
karoo veld that, when lying flattened out on the
ground, they are invisible at a comparatively short
distance. Lying thus they watched for an oppor-
tunity to make a dash. At other times, lying just
over the crest of a low hill, or concealed amongst
the loose stones on a hillside, they lay for hours
watching the flocks and herds out upon the veld
below. Many a chance presented itself of snap-
ping up cattle, sheep and goats which had strayed
a short distance away from the others, for the
shepherds were invariably careless and irrespon-
sible Hottentots.

So bold were they that they have been known to
make a dash at a herd of cattle quietly feeding
within a hundred yards of the homestead, and
singling out a beast drive it off into the bush or over
some rising ground and devour every mouthful of
its flesh before a horse could be saddled to follow
them up.

A Dutch friend in Natal told me that in the
122

CAPE HUNTING DOG OR WILDE HONDE

early days in Umvoti County he was sitting on his
stoep conversing with his son when he observed
some swiftly- moving objects appear over the brow
of a low hill about a mile distant. He seized his
telescope, and sure enough they were a pack of wild
dogs making straight for his sheep grazing peacefully
out upon the grass veld. He and his son, hastily
arming themselves with a gun each, dashed for the
stable, and saddling the horses rode off at a full
gallop, discharging their guns as they rode. When
within a couple of hundred yards the hounds fled
and disappeared with a swift, swinging gallop. The
sheep were rushing about in a state of the wildest
terror. The veld was strewn with dead and dying
animals, and others running about with large pieces
of flesh either torn out of their bodies or hanging
in ribbons. Sixty- nine sheep was the total number
done to death by this pack of hounds, which num-
bered about fifteen.

The hunting habits of these wolf-like dogs can-
not be better described than in the words of
Mr. Drummond :

" It is a marvellous sight to see a pack of them
hunting, drawing cover after cover, their sharp,
bell-like note ringing through the air, while a few
of the fastest of their number take up their stations
along the expected line of the run — the wind, the
nature of the ground, and the habits of the game
all taken into consideration with the most won-
derful skill. Then to see them after* they have
123

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

found, going at their long unswerving gallop so
close together that a sheet might cover them,
while those which had been stationed or had sta-
tioned themselves, it is hard to say which, drop in
one by one as the others find themselves unable to
make the running any longer ; and the chase,
generally a Gnu or Waterbuck, pressed first by one
and then another, though it may distance the pack
for awhile, soon comes back to it, and in the end
is almost invariably run into."

Mr. F. C. Selous describes a most unusual inci-
dent, viz., a single hound chasing an antelope.
He and his friends once in Bechuanaland were
watching a Sable Antelope, and on observing it
suddenly throw up its head and start off at a gallop,
says : " We saw that an animal was running on its
track, and although still distant was overhauling
it fast, for the Sable Antelope, not being pressed,
was not yet doing its best, so that when it was
about two hundred yards from its pursuer, which
we now saw was a wild dog, was not more than
fifty yards behind us. The noble-looking ante-
lope must just then have seen us, for it halted,
looked towards us, and then, turning its head, glanced
at its insignificant pursuer. That glance, however,
at the open-mouthed dog thirsting for its life-blood
must have called up unpleasant reminiscences, for,
instead of showing fight as I should have expected,
it threw out its limbs convulsively and came dashing
past us at its utmost speed. It was, however, to
124

CAPE HUNTING DOG OR WILDE HONDE

no purpose, for the wild dog, lying flat to the ground
as a greyhound, its bushy tail stretched straight
behind it, covered two yards to its one, and came
up to it in no time. It just gave the antelope one
bite in the flank, and letting go its hold instantly
fell a few yards behind. At the bite the Sable Ante-
lope swerved towards us, and upon receiving a
second in exactly the same place turned still more,
so that, taking the point on which we stood as centre,
both pursuer and pursued had described about half
a circle round us, always within two hundred yards
since the Sable Antelope had first halted. As the
wild dog was just going up the third time it got
our wind and, instead of again inflicting a bite,
stopped dead and looked towards us, whilst about
a hundred yards from it the Sable Antelope came to
a standstill. The baffled hound then turned round
and made off one way, while the Sable Antelope,
delivered from its tormentor, cantered off in an-
other."

Mr. Selous mentions that this is the only occasion
on which he saw a Cape Hunting Dog pursuing an
animal unaccompanied by others. In the unsettled
parts of South Africa these dogs still cause much
loss to farmers, attacking sheep, goats, cattle, and
ostriches. However, it is now exceedingly wary,
and has in most districts taken refuge in the forests,
such for instance as the Addo Bush near Port
Elizabeth. In Rhodesia they are very plentiful,
and harry the pioneer farmers considerably. In
125

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

fact in many parts, stock farming is rendered quite
unprofitable owing to the depredations of these
dogs. Statistics show that in Southern Rhodesia
109 wild dogs were killed in the year 1911.

The number of puppies at a birth on the average
is the same as with domestic dogs. Often, however,
as many as ten or twelve in a litter have been found.
They are born and reared in a burrow dug in the
ground out on the open veld. These are con-
nected with each other by subterranean passages.
Frequently the deserted holes of the Aard Varks are
utilised and altered to suit the requirements of the
animal. Like the Cape Jackals, the adult wild dogs
do not take refuge in these burrows, but when
pursued at once make off to the nearest patch
of bush, finding sanctuary in the dense, thorny
thickets, which are impossible of penetration by
the pursuer.

It is not often at the present time we find the
burrows out upon the open veld. They are exca-
vated within the precincts of the dense, thorny
scrub which abounds in South Africa. Animals
rapidly learn by experience. These dogs, for in-
stance, know full well that now the country is over-
run with a deadly foe in the shape of man, it would
be courting death for them to attempt to rear their
families out upon the open veld. Like the human
race when confronted for the first time with some
altogether new form of danger, the lower animals
are at a loss how to act, and numbers of them perish.
126

CAPE HUNTING DOG OR WILDE HONDE

but they soon learn how to cope with and overcome,
or at least considerably minimise the effects of the
new source of danger to their kind. For this reason
there is much disagreement amongst naturalists
and others as to the ways and habits of the lower
animals, because in one part of the country they in
many respects differ considerably in their habits,
owing to local circumstances. Game animals, for
instance, which in the past were invariably found
out upon the open veld, now haunt the dense
forests and bush-veld, owing to being hunted and
shot.

The powers of endurance of the Cape . Hunting
Dog are astonishing. The swiftest of antelopes are
run down by them. Keeping together in a compact
mass, they gallop steadily along and never seem to
tire, and although the pursued animal may be fleeter
than they, yet possessing greater endurance they
invariably succeed in tiring it out.

The average man imagines that, unless he is
fortified with nourishing food every few hours, his
strength will wane and he will be incapable of either
mental or physical labour. The wild dog will scour
the country for days, doing perchance over a hun-
dred miles a day in quest of food, on a perfectly
empty stomach. The food of these dogs, as a
general rule, is well earned. To procure a suffi-
ciency, great physical exertion is put forth, combined
with considerable exercise of mental power. This
strenuous life is necessary for the maintenance of
127

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

the health of flesh-eating animals. When a regular
and abundant supply of flesh food is forthcoming,
with but little physical effort, carnivorous animals
grow mangy and otherwise diseased, for the reason
that the toxic substances generated in the body
by a flesh diet are not eliminated.

Those of the human race who eat largely of flesh
food, and who do not do heavy manual labour,
bring ill-health in various forms upon themselves,
in the same way as do the carnivorous animals.
With the wild dogs it is always a feast or a famine.
The stomach may be loaded to its utmost capacity
at times, but it goes for days at a time empty.
Many of the human race load their stomachs every
day of the year and yet expect to remain in a con-
dition of health.

All observers who have come in contact much
with these wild dogs are unanimous in their state-
ments that they tear up and devour their prey in
the most expeditious way, biting out great mouth-
fuls of flesh and bolting it whole. A pack of a
dozen of these hounds will eat up a large antelope
within fifteen minutes. The larger animals are
usually attacked just below the tail, the endeavour
being to tear out the bowels and thus completely
cripple the hunted creature.

In those parts where wild dogs have not from
experience been taught to dread man and his fire-
arms, they do not show any great fear of his kind,
for when molested they usually slowly and sullenly
128

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•— -—

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"*" c o

CAPE HUNTING DOG OR WILD HONDE

retire. Instances are on record of them attacking
and devouring natives, as do their cousins the
wolves in Russia at the present day. Europeans
on foot have frequently been threatened by them,
but they seem to have a great • dread of man on
horseback. The reason, no doubt, is that horses
are associated with men carrying firearms, for
hunters seldom venture out into the wilds on foot.
An unarmed man on foot would stand no chance
against one of these large and powerful wild dogs,
if it thought fit to attack him.

When taken captive as puppies, wild dogs can
be tamed very effectually, but the evil character
of their kind sometimes asserts itself. It is stated
that when crossed with domestic dogs the offspring
is a mongrel of bad character.

The Cape Hunting Dog is an animal which has
served its purpose in the economy of Nature.
Wherever man settles down to take possession of
the land, this dog is one of the creatures which he
must spare no effort to destroy, for, until they are
all exterminated, he cannot live in peace. It is
an animal doomed to extinction, and rightly so,
for from a human point of view it is without a
redeeming trait of character.

Its work before the advent of man was a good
and useful one. Man has replaced it, and the two
cannot live in proximity.

In shape the Wilde Honde is wolf-like. The hair
is short and in many it is scanty. The general
VOL. ii 129 9

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

body colour is dull ochre yellow, with irregular
dark-brown patches and sundry blotches of the
same colour. The markings vary a good deal in
different individuals according to the local race to
which they belong. The white brush at the end
of the tail, however, is common to all. The height
of a full-grown Hunting Dog at the shoulder is
about two feet three inches ; length, four feet from
the nose to root of tail ; tail to the end of terminal
hairs, fourteen inches.

There is a local race or sub-species of Cape
Hunting Dog in the north-east of South Africa,
viz. Lycaon pictus zuluensis.

130

THE CAPE OR CLAWLESS OTTER

(Aonyx capensis)
Syn. : Lutra capensis

Intini of Swazis and Zulus (Kirby) and Amaxosa (Cloete) ;
Itini of Basutos (Kirby)

THE Cape or Clawless Otter inhabits Africa from
the Cape to the Soudan. In South Africa it is
widespread, and may be found on the margins of
rivers, ponds, and marshes in all parts of the country.
It is often met with on the sea coast in places where
there are no rivers, or ponds other than the rock
pools containing sea water. In these situations it
subsists on the crustaceans, small marine fishes, and
other creatures left by the outgoing tide in the
shallow water amongst the rocks on shore. If such
food should not be sufficient for its needs, it ven-
tures out short distances from the shore in pursuit
of larger fishes, which, when captured, are brought
to shore and devoured.

The Cape Otter is nocturnal, except in secluded
districts, where it often ventures forth during the
daytime on cloudy days, and early in the morning,
and towards sunset.

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

The lair of the otter is amongst the dense bushes,
reeds, or brushwood at the margins of the rivers,
ponds, &c. If the banks are rocky, it sometimes
takes refuge under ledges of rock, or in cavities.
They do not excavate holes.

Otters are often seen in parties of from three to
five, and it has been assumed they associate for
hunting purposes. This may at times be the case,
but I have frequently watched otters, while lying
unobserved, and always either saw them singly, in
pairs, or a pair with from two to three cubs. The
cubs remain with the parents till nearly adult, if
the locality affords sufficient sustenance for all. If
not, the cubs are driven off to a distance. In any
case, when adult, they mate and seek out a hunting-
ground and set up housekeeping on their own
account.

Returning home late one moonlight night in
Natal, I surprised a pair of otters, and three half-
grown cubs, in a clay pit containing muddy water.
They were busily engaged hunting frogs (Rana),
and the tongueless species (Xeno-pus Icevis). On
observing me, they clambered up the rather steep
sides of the pit and made off through the grass to
an adjacent spruit, a distance of over a hundred
yards.

In spite of the feet being nearly destitute of webs,

the Cape Otter is an excellent swimmer. It glides

silently through the water with the upper part of

the head visible ; occasionally the ridge of the back

132

THE CAPE OR CLAWLESS OTTER

and tail are seen, and on these occasions it has been
mistaken for a large snake. However, as a general
rule, the nose and head only are visible above water.
On the slightest cause for alarm it sinks without
a sound, emerging 'at some distance for a moment
to breathe, and again sinks from sight. If the banks
of the stream are covered with reeds or rushes, the
otter, when alarmed in midstream, disappears, and
makes straight for the bank, where it emerges and
lies concealed from view.

It was quite a common sight to see a family party
of otters swimming about in midstream on moon-
light nights in the rivers in Natal. It is necessary
to secrete oneself and remain perfectly still, for
should a twig crack, or the slightest movement be
made, the otters instantly sink, and are not seen
again that night.

In Natal Clawless Otters are common, not only
along the banks of the larger rivers, but even the
small spruits. A family of otters lived amongst
the reeds and rushes in the Dorp Spruit at the lower
end of an estate of mine at Pietermaritzburg. Most
of the tenants, who were natives, kept fowls.
Almost nightly one or more fowls were carried off.
The tenants occasionally caught glimpses of an
animal vanishing in the darkness, and thought it
to be a dog. One moonlight night the fowls of a
tenant set up a great din, and the owner, rushing
out of his house, saw two animals disappear in the
darkness. It had been raining during the night,

133

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

and in the morning the spoor of a pair of otters
was plainly seen. We tried poisoned bait and traps
without success. Then, as a last resource, steel
spring traps were set and carefully covered with
soil, at the favourite landing-places of the otters ;
but their sense of smell being so highly developed
they carefully avoided the buried traps, although
their spoor was to be seen all around. To get the
fowls, these otters were obliged to travel distances
varying from a hundred to three hundred yards
from the spruit, over cultivated ground. Occa-
sionally a partially- devoured fowl was found amongst
the reeds or rushes. Some otter-hounds were ob-
tained and both banks of the spruit carefully
searched. Eventually we located and killed a
family of otters in some dense brushwood and scrub
about a mile down the spruit. We presumed this
family of otters were the robbers, for my tenants
were not troubled again for over two years, when
another pair of otters took possession of this
portion of the spruit as a hunting-ground, and
they, like their predecessors, soon began to give
trouble.

Otters are sometimes hunted for sport on the
larger rivers, with otter hounds and terriers, with
varying success. It is difficult to dislodge an
otter from the cover of the reeds, rushes, or brush-
wood along the river banks.

Finding the cover of the banks is no longer safe,
and driven to bay, the otter swims out to the centre

134

THE CAPE OR CLAWLESS OTTER

of the river, awaits the attacks of the dog, and fights
desperately until killed.

A friend lost two fox terriers, which were killed
by a male Cape Otter in the Umgeni River in Natal.
A pack of a dozen otter hounds and terriers had
driven the otter from cover into the centre of a
deep pool. Two terriers in advance of the pack,
swam out and attacked the animal. The otter
awaited their assault and gripped the foremost of
the dogs. Both vanished under water and reap-
peared in a few seconds, struggling desperately.
The second terrier came to the rescue, and for the
next few minutes a terrific struggle was maintained.
Presently the otter and one terrier disappeared,
and the otHer was seen to be in difficulties. Di-
vesting himself of his coat and boots, my friend
swam to the rescue, and succeeded in bringing the
dog to shore. It was dreadfully bitten, and its
abdomen was so severely lacerated that it subse-
quently died. No sign of the otter or second terrier
was seen until the following day, when the bodies,
with teeth firmly buried in each other's flesh, were
discovered at a drift a quarter of a mile further
down the river.

The Cape Otter when brought to bay always
fights desperately to the last. On land it cannot
put up much of a fight, for it is clumsy in its move-
ments, and can, in consequence, be attacked from
behind by an active dog before it can succeed in
turning.

'35

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

When captured young and kindly treated, the
Cape Otter soon becomes quite tame, and will
follow its master about, trotting at his heels after
the manner of a dog. We captured a young otter
once in Natal, and kept it alive in a pond in a wire-
netting enclosure. It was perfectly tame, and made
great friends with the dogs, and loved to romp and
play with them. It was exceedingly playful — in
fact as much so as a kitten.

It preferred flesh food to any other kind of diet.
Crabs were chewed up and swallowed entire.

In the wild condition the Cape Otter is carniv-
orous. Its diet is varied, consisting of fish, which
it hunts in the water, usually in pairs or family
parties consisting of the parents and cubs. Possess-
ing no webs to its toes, it is, in consequence,
not so swift and agile in the water as its web-footed
relatives ; therefore the fish which usually fall
victims to it are the slow-swimming eels and cat-
fish. The rivers and spruits in many parts of
South Africa dry up during times of drought, and
only isolated pools remain. In these the fish are
pent up, and fall a comparatively easy prey to the
otter.

Fish, however, as a general rule are difficult to
catch, and moreover are not too plentiful in South
African rivers, so a fish diet is largely supplemented
or quite superseded by fresh-water crabs, river mus-
sels, water tortoises, monitor lizards, frogs, and
other kinds of aquatic creatures. Water birds often

THE CAPE OR CLAWLESS OTTER

fall victims to the otter, particularly wild ducks,
which are often seized from beneath by the feet
when swimming in the mud-discoloured water.
The eggs and young of water birds are also eaten
when found amongst the reeds and rushes.

A satisfactory supply of food in and near the water
not being forthcoming, the Cape Otter forages the
neighbourhood for considerable distances in search
of the eggs and young of ground birds, land tortoises,
lizards, and insects. At the Botanical Gardens at
Pietermaritzburg, several swans were attacked and
killed by otters, which, no doubt, had been driven
to desperation by hunger.

Frogs and fresh-water crabs constitute the main-
stay of the diet of the otter. The excreta of the
Cape Otter is usually a mass of fragments of the
chewed-up armour of fresh-water crabs (Thelphusia
-perlata), indicating that crabs, shell and all, are eaten.
Owing to a changed environment, persecution
by enemies, or failure of the ordinary food supply,
various animals are forced to gradually change
their habits, and in consequence, their bodies
become modified to suit their new surroundings.
How this change is induced we know not. It is
certainly quite independent of the intelligence
of the animal. When we refer to this controlling,
moulding, directing power which permeates every-
thing we, for lack of a more convenient term, call
it Nature. It is evidently a law of Nature that
what is not used must be taken away, modified, or

137

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

otherwise changed. We have an interesting in-
stance in the Cape or Clawless Otter, which has
lost the claws of its fore feet ; and even on the
hind feet the claws are missing on the outer toes,
and only vestiges remain on the other ones. Pits
mark the spots where the claws once grew. In
addition, this otter has no webs between its toes —
only vestiges remain of what was once, no doubt,
a fully webbed foot.

The disappearance of the claws and webs, and
the heavy, clumsy, broad-headed appearance of this
animal, leave little or no doubt that it is slowly but
surely abandoning an aquatic existence, and becoming
a terrestrial animal. Indeed, its habits are already
as much those of a land as an aquatic creature.

In localities which afford an abundance of cover,
this otter is often found half a mile or more from
water. I have never, however, met with it very
far from water except in situations where it could
beat a retreat to the river bank under cover of long
grass or scrub. In the drier parts of South Africa,
where the rainfall is scanty, the farmers accumulate
water in great dams. Although there is, as a rule,
little or no food for them in these dams, yet these
animals may frequently be seen disporting them-
selves in the water on moonlight nights. In these
instances they have taken terrestrial habits, and
merely visit the water for a frolic and a drink.

In India and neighbouring countries and islands,
another species of clawless otter occurs, but it is

THE SPOTTED-NECKED OTTER

small in comparison with the Cape Clawless Otter,
which, with the exception of the Brazilian Otter,
is the largest of its tribe. A fully-developed male
Cape Otter averages three feet in length from nose
to root of tail. The form is thickset ; head broad,
and jaws armed with strong teeth. The prevail-
ing colour is rich chocolate brown, shading to lighter
on the under parts. The fur is short, smooth, and
glossy ; nose, upper lip, whiskers, cheeks, and
throat are white.

THE SPOTTED-NECKED OTTER

OR
WEB-FOOTED OTTER

(Lutra maculicollis)

THE Spotted-necked Otter inhabits the rivers
of the eastern portion of the Cape Province, and
extends through Natal to the Transvaal and
Rhodesia, and thence north through Africa from
the West to the East Coast as far as Abyssinia.

Several specimens have been obtained recently
from the Zwartkops and Sundays Rivers, in the
District of Uitenhage, in the Cape Province. A
pair were secured near Bellevue in July 1913, and
are now in the Port Elizabeth Museum.

This species of otter has its toes fully armed
with strong claws, and all the toes of both fore
and hind feet are webbed to the tips. In conse-
139

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

quence of its webbed feet and comparatively slender
body, this otter is specially adapted for an aquatic
life. It can swim and dive with the greatest of
ease and grace, and is exceedingly swift and agile
in the water, turning and doubling in an amazing
manner when in pursuit of fish, which are
hunted down in couples, or parties composed of
the parents and immature young. Two to three
seem to be the average number of cubs at a birth.
One, which my taxidermist dissected, contained
two embryos.

The Spotted-necked Otter is usually found along
the banks of the permanently flowing rivers, and in
ponds which do not dry up during times of drought.
It is nocturnal by habit, but, like its clawless and
webless cousin, it ventures forth in secluded
localities early in the afternoons and on cloudy
days. Occasionally in Natal I have seen pairs of
them basking in the sun on the river bank during
the winter months. The instant they were ob-
served they tumbled headlong into the water and
vanished, probably to reappear under cover of the
rushes and reeds on the opposite bank. The diet
of this otter consists largely of fish ; but fresh- water
crabs form no inconsiderable proportion of its
food. Like the other species, it preys on a variety
of creatures, including the Monitor Lizard, frogs,
water- tortoises, aquatic birds, their young, and eggs.

I have never seen these otters except in the
immediate neighbourhood of water, into which they
140

:j*$teV ||

*;

THE SPOTTED-NECKED OTTER

plunged when disturbed in their lair, which was
invariably in the rushes, reeds, brushwood, or thick
scrub on the banks.

Sometimes I discovered their lair under a ledge
of rock overhanging a stream, or in a hole amongst
the scrub-covered boulders on the steeply sloping
river banks. Usually when a rock crevice or ledge
is selected as a lair, the situation is immediately-
over a deep pool, into which the otters can drop on
the slightest suspicion of danger.

The enemies of the otter are the larger car-
nivorous animals and pythons.

The Spotted-necked Otter is so called because of
a few light red, yellow, or white spots on the throat
and chest. In several specimens which I have
examined from Sundays River no spots of any
kind were present, nor were the upper or lower
lips white ; therefore these are either a sub-species
or else the spots on the Spotted-necked Otter are
not constant. Two such types are in the Port
Elizabeth Museum.

This otter can easily be distinguished from the
Cape or clawless kind by reason of its compara-
tively slender build and smaller size, apart from
its fully webbed feet and claws.

In colour it is dark brown, approaching black on
the back, merging into lighter brown on the under
parts. The fur is short, thick, and glossy. A
full-grown male averages two feet in length from
the nose to the root of the tail.
141

THE HONEY RATEL

(Mellivora ratel)

Indundundwana or Insele of Swazis and Zulus (I(irt>y) ;
Icelesi of Amaxosa (Stanford) ; Sisele of Basutos
(K^rby]

THE Ratel (Mellivora ratel) inhabits Africa from the
Cape to the French Congo on the west, and Nubia
on the east. A black ratel has been discovered in
the Congo forest, and has been named Mellivora
cottoni. A third species is known as the Indian
Ratel (Mellivora indica), which inhabits India from
the Himalaya to Cape Comorin, but does not occur
eastwards of the Bay of Bengal, or in Ceylon.

In South Africa the Honey Ratel, as it is gener-
ally termed, exists in all the provinces. Its haunts
are the bush-covered lands, and especially those
parts which abound in rugged, bush-clad hills and
rocky kloofs. It makes its lair in a cave, crevice,
in a hole amongst the roots of a tree, among the dead
leaves under a clump of dense, thorny, creeper-
clad shrubs, in the hollow interior of an old forest
tree, or in burrows excavated by itself or those of
other animals, such as the Aard Vark. Entrance to
142

THE HONEY RATEL

the interior of a hollow tree is sometimes attained
by burrowing a hole amongst the roots and scraping
out the rotten pith. Another plan is to actually
ascend the tree and enter it from the top of the
trunk, where in some species of old native trees a
hole is usually found.

It is stated that the ratel does not climb trees.
True, it cannot ascend a tree with a smooth trunk
if there are no branches or twigs within reach ;
but should the trunk be rough and uneven on the
outside, the ratel obtains a grip with its claws
and slowly and carefully ascends. If there are
twigs or branches within reach the animal finds
no difficulty in ascending trees. Reaching up, a
twig or branch is hooked with the large, curved,
horny claws of the front foot. The body is then
drawn up with the assistance of the back feet
gripping the trunk, and the other fore paw is hooked
over the branch. Then, standing on its hind legs,
it once again reaches up to the nearest twig or
branch above it, and so on. Wherever there is
a foothold the ratel will climb, even up the rough
face of a precipice. It is quite indifferent to a fall
which would seriously injure or kill most other
kinds of animals : this is owing to its loose, thick,
and tough hide. A ratel which I have in captivity
tumbled from the balcony of a public building to
the asphalt floor below, a distance of forty feet. It
fell with a thud on its back, but was up again in an
instant, none the worse. I noticed when it lost its
H3

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

foothold on the balcony it coiled itself up into a
ball, with the head and legs tucked under its body.
Bunched up like this, the legs, nose, and jaws were
safe from injury, even if it fell upon jagged rocks.

The ratel is carnivorous, and nothing of an edible
nature comes amiss to it. If hard pressed for
food it devours roots, bulbs, and various other
vegetable substances. Wild berries and fruits it
is rather fond of. However, flesh food in some form
is its mainstay, supplemented by the honey and larvae
of wild bees. In fact its chief mission in life is to
act as a check on the too rapid increase of the native
honey bee. Its thick skin is quite impervious to
the sting of a bee, and the claws of its fore paws
are specially adapted for tearing away the rotten
wood of old trees, in the hollow interiors of which
the honey bees establish homes, store up honey,
and rear their broods.

There are few situations in which hives of bees
are safe from the ratel. It will even ascend the
face of a cliff should there be sufficient foothold,
and scoop out the comb from the rock crevices.
When a bee's nest is found, the ratel is by no means
content to satisfy its hunger by eating the honey
and the comb containing the bee larvae, which are
white grubs in the cells of the comb. What it
cannot eat on the spot it carries off to its lair to
furnish a meal. This habit is not confined to
honeycomb. It applies to any other kind of pro-
vender, as I am aware from personal observation.
144

,<U "C

THE HONEY RATEL

The ratel, like its relatives the weasels, does not
chase down its living prey by speed. It progresses
at a rapid swinging trot, but can easily be overtaken
by an average dog. I have on several occasions seen
them run down on the veld by natives. In broken
country, however, they are impossible to follow.
Coming upon a hare or small antelope, the ratel
starts off on its trail, with nose within an inch or two
of the ground, and tail elevated, but never en-
deavours to run down the intended prey by speed.
It is untiring. Of all animals known to me the ratel
has the most energy, endurance, and perseverance.
Once upon the track of an animal there is little
hope of ultimate escape for the creature, for,
however far it may travel, the ratel will follow.
Nothing in the way of a difficulty seems to dis-
courage it. No animal which it is able to over-
power is safe from it. The Springhare, Meerkat,
Rat, Ground Squirrel, and other burrowing creatures
attempt to find sanctuary in their underground re-
treats, but the ratel is in no way disconcerted. It
instantly sets itself the task of digging them out.
Its strength and endurance are so phenomenal
that it rarely fails to reach the terrified occupant
of the burrow. However many animals there may
be in a burrow, it spares none. It takes the
keenest delight in killing. Even the formidable
porcupine, covered with his armament of sharp
quills, falls a victim to the ratel, for its hide is so
tough, and it attacks the animal so skilfully, that
VOL. n. 145 10

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

the sharp quills do it little or no damage. It
takes the greatest care not to expose its under
parts, where the skin is tender and thin.

I watched two male ratels in deadly combat
one evening just about dusk. It was apparent that
each of them was exercising the utmost care to
protect its tender abdomen from the teeth of
the other. They advanced on one another with
bent back and head lowered. Each seemed to be
inviting the other to bite first. The motive was
plain, as the one which bit first was at a disadvan-
tage, for the instant it raised its head and seized
the tough skin of the neck or back of its opponent
the latter would instantly make a grab for its ab-
domen, which is soft and easy to bite through.
The skin of a ratel is so loosely attached to its body
that should a foe seize it by the back of the neck
it can turn in its own skin so easily that it is en-
abled to lacerate its enemy's mouth and throat
and inflict frightful injuries.

So tough is the skin of a ratel that the sharp
teeth of a dog will not penetrate it. A large hound
is no match for an adult ratel, although it is of such
comparatively small size. When the hound bites
it only succeeds in getting a mouthful of the ratel's
hide, but does the animal little or no damage.
Meanwhile the ratel is getting home a succession
of severe bites, which eventually cripple or kill
the dog.

Little short of actually shattering the thick skull,

THE HONEY RATEL

or stabbing or shooting it through the heart, will
kill a ratel. They are as tenacious of life, or even
more so, than the Stink Muishond or Polecat.
Few, if any, of the denizens of the forest venture
to attack a ratel.

A female ratel was attacked by Mr L. Walton's
dogs on his farm at Mimosa, and while the fight
was proceeding the ratel's mate came out of the
bush at a swift trot and viciously attacked its mate's
enemies, and, to save his dogs from being torn to
pieces, Mr Walton was obliged to shoot it.

Although a nocturnal animal, the ratel is often
seen abroad on cloudy days and just after sundown,
but until after, dark in the neighbourhood of man
it does not venture far from its lair.

Although its eyes are small and deepset, they are
keen and sharp and long-sighted. At night they
are powerfully phosphorescent. On an occasion
we located a ratel in a cave. The terriers were
barking furiously, and the ratel was giving vent to
a volley of harsh grating sounds very much like the
noise made by filing iron with a large rough rasp.
Creeping through the opening to the cave, which
was hidden by a great mass of scrubby bush, I
was startled to see two bright phosphorescent
lights which glowed and flashed and died down,
to again flash out with greater intensity. So
terrific were the grating growls, and so uncanny did
those two points of greenish light from out of the
intense darkness appear, that I hastily withdrew.

147

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

Away from the habitations of man the ratel is a
useful animal in maintaining the balance of Nature.
Armies of rats, mice, noxious insects, and venomous
snakes fall a prey to it. However, in the vicinity
of man the Honey Ratel is not to be trusted, for
it often develops an undue fondness for poultry,
ostrich chicks, kids, and lambs, as well as domestic
hives of bees. It is only, as a rule, when driven to
desperation by hunger that a ratel ventures near
its most dreaded enemy — man. I was living for
some time at the farm of a friend, and although
a pair of ratels had been living in a neighbouring
kloof for several years, they had never been guilty
of interference with any of his stock. The country
was a bushy one, and the ratels found an abundance
of food without having to resort to the dangerous
expedient of venturing out within the sphere of
influence of the farmer's dogs and gun. We knew
the lair of these ratels, which was in a hole under
an overhanging boulder, amongst the tangled bush
and creepers at the foot of a krantz, but my friend
would not allow them to be molested, for the reason
that they were useful agents in destroying rats,
mice, snakes, locusts, and other pests. Time
enough, said he, to kill them when they began to
do him injury.

There is a little bird known as the Honey Guide

in South Africa, which has obtained its name from

its habit of guiding people to the hives of wild bees.

Screaming, chattering, and fluttering its wings, it

148

THE HONEY RATEL

seeks to attract attention. When it observes it is
being followed, it flies from branch to branch,
chattering and fluttering its wings until the hive
is reached. It is asserted by many that the ratel
follows the Honey Guide bird, and in this way dis-
covers bees' hives. Naturalists have not yet agreed
to accept this statement as fact, but from my experi-
ence of the ratel in the wild condition and in cap-
tivity, I should certainly give it credit for possessing
sufficient intelligence and cunning to follow one of
these birds. After all, it does not involve any great
degree of intelligence. The practical naturalist,
who has lived out in the wilds amongst the denizens
of veld, forest, and mountain, knows that the ways
and habits of a large number of animals indicate
as much intelligence and reasoning ability as most
primitive races of men, and that many of their
habits could, with advantage, be copied by what
are termed the civilised races of men.

It would be comparatively easy for the ratel to
learn to recognise the meaning of the Honey Guide's
actions as clearly as did the pygmy Bushmen and
the Hottentots of the past. The Honey Guide
would no doubt be well aware of the ratel's love
for honey, and its wasteful habit of scraping out
the entire contents of the nest, and that in conse-
quence there would be a sumptuous feast of bee
grubs for it when the ratel had retired. Knowing
this, it would make every effort to get the ratel to
follow it to a hive. Seeing a bird apparently crippled,
149

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

and fluttering almost within reach, the ratel would
be induced to follow it up in the hope of securing
the bird, and would thus unconsciously be led to a
hive of bees. The ratel is one of the most inquisitive
of animals, and curiosity alone would prompt it
to follow up a chattering, fluttering Honey Guide
bird. Once having followed one of these birds
and having found a beehive, the ratel would not be
slow in connecting the two ; the next time a bird
demonstrated before it the ratel would follow it
with the greatest of eagerness. The habit would
be learned by the ratel's progeny, and from genera-
tion to generation the instinct to follow the Honey
Guide would deepen.

Major J. Stevenson-Hamilton, in his interesting
book, Animal Life in Africa, gives the following,
and apparently convincing account of the ratel
being led to beehives by Honey Guide birds : —

" You may be resting in the bush in the cool of
the afternoon, or on some cloudy day, when your
attention is arrested by the persistent and approach-
ing chatter of one of these feathered spies. Presently
the bird itself comes fluttering on to a branch some
thirty yards distant, where it perches, flapping its
wings, and displaying every sign of impatience.
For a moment it is silent, and then a less familiar
sound strikes the ear : a light sibilant hissing and
chuckling, which at first you find yourself unable
to identify : ' Kru-tshee, krut-shee-clk, elk, elk,
whee-tshee-tse, tse-whi-o-o ' (it is almost impossible
150

THE HONEY RATEL

to do it justice on paper). The Honey Guide
understands, and having, with undulating flight,
sought another tree some thirty yards further on,
renews his invitation. Keeping quite still, and
looking steadily, you presently spy a little grey and
black form, moving along at a steady jog-trot ;
the tail is carried slightly above the level of the
back, and the head, except when raised to glance
up at the guide, is held a little low. Every time
the bird utters his monotonous refrain, which, trans-
lated into feathered language, means, ' Come along,
come along, don't be slow,' the follower replies,
' All right, my friend, don't be alarmed, I am
coming.' And thus the strange procession passes
on out of sight to the hollow log where the unlucky
insects are industriously slaving, only ultimately to
satisfy the appetites of bird and beast. When
following the Honey Guide, the natives of many
tribes in Africa endeavour to imitate the curious
whistling and chuckling sounds of the ratel ;
though indeed the bird appears to require but little
encouragement to keep it to its work."

When a ratel is pursued it takes refuge in a rock
crevice, a hole, or in the midst of some dense
thorny scrub. In these situations it is exceedingly
difficult and often impossible to dislodge, even with
the aid of several good dogs, for its strength is great
and its skin impervious to the bites of the dogs ;
and moreover it is no mean foe, for when brought
to bay it fights to the death. It bites in a most

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

savage and tenacious manner and with great power,
for the muscles of its jaws and neck are large and
strong. Though such a formidable opponent to
tackle, when once captured and treated kindly it
becomes surprisingly tame, docile, and affection-
ate. When taken into captivity very young, or
when about half grown, ratels become as tame as
domestic dogs, and make the most amusing of pets.
If the cage be large and roomy the ratel plays all
sorts of antics. Trotting to one end of the cage it
quickly turns and, taking a short, swift run, thrusts
its head between its forepaws, arches its back, and
bowls along like a football. One which I have in
captivity is as tame as any domestic dog. On an
occasion I gave it its liberty in a small hall. My
friend had a fox terrier, which instantly began
barking at the ratel. The latter, without the
slightest warning, made a short rapid rush at the
dog, closing itself up like a hedgehog and trun-
dling like a big hairy ball over the floor. The
terrier skipped out of the way, and when the im-
petus with which the ratel had launched itself was
expended, it raised its head and glanced around.
Instantly it was up and at the terrier again. Its
energy was astonishing. Round and round the
room it chased the dog, and every time it came
within a few yards of it the ratel rolled itself at the
dog. Evidently it thought the performance excel-
lent fun, for all the time it gave voice to a low,
peculiar sound, which I learned to know was an
152

THE HONEY RATEL

expression of pleasure. The dog was not much
alarmed, and was inclined to take the whole affair
in a sporting spirit. Tiring of dodging about, the
dog stood still, and once again bowling itself at
it the ratel collided with the dog rather violently,
whereupon the terrier seized the ratel's hide and
worried it fiercely, but the animal took it all in good
part, and, drawing back a few paces, again trundled
itself against the dog. By this time the terrier had
lost his temper and assaulted the ratel in real earnest,
but the ratel didn't seem to mind. She took care,
however, only to allow the dog to worry away at
the tough skin of her back, and seemed to enjoy
the process. Thinking the dog might bite on
some tender part and enrage her, we carried her
off to her cage.

This ratel goes by the name of Jeannie, and for
the past four years has been confined in a cage at
Port Elizabeth Museum. It is a great favourite with
practically all the children of the town, as well as
most of the adults.

Everyone in or near Port Elizabeth knows Jeannie
the ratel. She is subjected to rather rough treat-
ment at times by visitors, but she takes it all in good
part, for it seems impossible to hurt her, so thick
and tough is her skin. You may pull her about
by the tail, pinch her, prod her with a stick, play
football or almost anything you please with her
body ; and instead of getting angry she imagines
you are doing it all to please her, and in consequence
'53

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

is highly delighted. Often when unmercifully
teased she will pretend to be angry, and growls in
a harsh, grating way, loud and long, but she never-
theless continues to bite and worry in play. I placed
a young ratel with her one day, and she, being unduly
rough with it, an assistant brought a stout stick
and belaboured her with vigour ; but he might as
well have beaten a door-mat. She didn't mind it
in the least, and rather enjoyed the thumping. It
was only when he happened to tap her on the nose
that she lost her temper and growled like the sound
of half a dozen men filing iron ; and her eyes flashed
like green fire in the gloom. However, ten minutes
later she was lying on her back and crooning with
delight, while the same man tickled her ribs with
his fingers.

Her claws were growing rather long, and she had
taken advantage of the fact, and had started to
tunnel a hole through the brick wall at the back of
her cage, so we decided to clip her nails. She
thought it fine fun when we tied her up in a mealie
sack, but when we cut sundry holes in the bag and
began pulling her legs through, she evidently
thought we were up to something and grew sus-
picious ; so fiercely did she struggle and so strong
was she that it took three grown men three-quarters
of an hour to cut her toe-nails. She bent her fore
paws and a strong man failed to straighten out the
limbs, although he had the advantage of gripping
her by the paw with a gloved hand. The Honey

'54

Jeannie, the live Ratel at the Port Elizabeth Museum. She
strongly resented being photographed. Jeannie was known
and loved by every boy and girl in the city.

An albino Honey Ratel from Hankey, Cape Province. This ratel
was pure white and exceptionally large and strong.

THE HONEY RATEL

Ratel and its cousin the badger are probably two
of the strongest and toughest animals upon earth
for their size.

No ordinary cage would hold Jeannie the ratel.
We had a cage specially made, but she demolished
it. Another was erected which the maker guaran-
teed was ratel-proof. She broke out of it a score
of times until it was covered with unsightly patches.
Just about that time we were temporarily exhibiting
a series of live animals with explanatory labels in
special cages in the museum ; these were renewed
from time to time by others kindly loaned by a
dealer in animals. We thought that at last we
had Jeannie securely confined. For over a month
she had failed to make any impression on the cage.
However one night she broke out, and next morning
I met the caretaker at the door with a woebegone
expression on his face. " Why, what's the matter,
Brown ? Is your mother dead or what ? " " Jeannie
got out last night, sir ; come and see." There lay
the ratel in her cage, and when she saw me she
sprawled onher back andcrooned affectionately. She
seemed particularly pleased with herself that morn-
ing. Glancing down the hall, I saw a heap of broken
glass. It was the front of a cage in which we had
a number of tame Fruit Bats. She had deliberately
thrown her body through the glass, captured and
ate the bats, the odd scraps of whose bodies bore
witness to the fact. The next cage was a smaller
one, and contained dormice in different compart-
155

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

ments. This cage she also demolished, and had
eaten its inhabitants. Half a dozen other cages
had also been smashed and the creatures therein
had gone the way of the others. Four baby
Chacma Baboons were sitting in the remotest
corner of their roomy cage hugging each other and
chattering with fear. No wonder, for they had a
lucky escape from a terrible fate. The ratel had,
during the night, tried every part of the cage.
There were traces of her operations on it on all
sides. She had even climbed up to the top, a
height of ten feet, and had upset some art bowls
containing choice growing palms. These were in
fragments on the floor. Her mind had evidently
been diverted by the sight of nine albino rats in
an adjacent cage. This cage was four feet square,
with strong glass sides and a series of augur holes
round the wooden frame near the bottom ; and the
top was covered with strong wire.

Failing to break the glass or to otherwise demolish
the cage, the ratel patiently scraped at one of the
augur holes until she had enlarged it sufficiently
for a rat to get through The wood was thick and
hard, and it must have cost her hours of patient
labour. Then, making formidable demonstrations
on the opposite side of the cage, she frightened the
rats so thoroughly that they endeavoured to escape
through the hole she had made. This was exactly
what she was intending that they should do. When
one of the rats emerged she evidently pounced upon

156

THE HONEY RATEL

it, and killing it laid its body aside and again began
the same tactics of frightening them. One by one
as they emerged she slew them, until the nine were
dead. There is no doubt whatever that the ratel
actually did employ the method stated of intimi-
dating the rats with the one fixed object of getting
them to crawl through the hole she had made, for
the glass, the woodwork, and the floor bore ample
evidence of her having hammered, bit, poked, and
battered the case on the side opposite to the hole
she had made.

After eating one of the fattest of the albino rats,
and her appetite being appeased, she began scouting
round to find a safe retreat. Eventually she found
in another hall of the museum a hole communi-
cating with a dark hollow recess under two flat-
topped cases which had been placed back to back,
the sides of which were boxed in with wood. Ex-
ploring the dark interior she found it to be an ideal
lair, so she forthwith trotted back to the scene of
her destructive energy and carried the rats a dis-
tance of a hundred yards, one or two at a time, and
deposited them in her lair.

Here the caretaker found her with eight dead rats
by her side. When the cases were removed and she
realised that concealment was no longer possible,
she scooped the rats into a heap with a sweep of her
fore paw, and, lying flat upon them, defied him to
take them from her. Finding he was able with a
long stick to poke some of them from under her

157

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

body, she rolled into a ball with the rats held tight
under her arms and between her legs, and her chin
clapped down tight on top. So fiercely did she
growl that he was rather afraid to tackle her.
Eventually she was scooped up into a net, rats and
all, and deposited in her cage.

Fearing another midnight raid, a cage of iron bars,
strong enough to resist the efforts of a grizzly bear,
was erected. In this for the past year she has
rolled, tumbled, and paraded ; often for three or
four hours she continually runs up and down her
cage at a rather fast swinging trot. At the back
of her cage is a window, and outside of it is a ledge
nine inches broad running along the wall a distance
of fifty feet. The window was at that time covered
with strong netting, and breaking through this and
squeezing under the slightly open window she
paraded for a couple of hours up and down the
ledge, which is at a height of about sixty feet from
the street below. Crowds gathered below and stared,
expecting every moment to see her come toppling
down. Tiring of her monotonous parade, she
squeezed in again under the window into her cage
and lay down and slept.

When Jeannie first arrived at the museum she
was rather timid and nervous, and at intervals,
when very frightened, excreted a fluid from certain
anal glands which had a vile musky smell, very
similar to that of the muishond or polecat, but not
quite so powerful or pungent. This evil-smelling
158

THE HONEY RATEL

perfume serves the purpose of a protection against
enemies. For instance, should a ratel be attacked
and hard pressed it discharges a quantity of this
evil-smelling fluid, which nauseates its foe. If a
leopard, cheetah, or lion should pounce upon a ratel,
thinking to make a meal of it, all the ratel need do
is to excrete a little of its special perfume, stored
up for such occasions, and its enemy drops it in
disgust.

However, like the Striped Muishond, the ratel
in captivity when kindly treated never ejects
this fluid, and the animal in consequence is
odourless.

In front of Jeannie's cage is a donation-box
bearing an inscription as foUows : "It costs six-
pence a day to feed me, and I am told if I am not
self-supporting I will not be allowed to live. Please
give me a penny, sir." She seems to have some
idea what this box is for. When a visitor approaches
her cage she croons and makes a variety of coaxing
noises which might be termed ratel language. Then
stretching out a fore paw she claws the slit in the
box, indicating as plainly as possible that she
expects the visitor to drop a coin into the box.
She has not been trained to do this. Observing
visitors drop coins through this slit in the box,
and the jingling sound of the money evidently
being pleasant to her sense of hearing, she now
tries to attract attention to the box. The contents
of this box are collected once a week, and during

'59

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

the process Jeannie expresses her satisfaction in a
multitude of sounds. The average total per week
is six shillings, and as we have had the rat el for a
period of four years this means we have acquired
the sum of about £60. With this money we have
been enabled not only to feed Jeannie but all the
other live creatures in the museum, and even to
have a small balance with which to buy sundry
live snakes, &c. Therefore Jeannie is not only self-
supporting, but actually finds the coin for the
purchase of food for a variety of animals.

The ratel in captivity at first is inclined to sleep
during the daytime, but after a month or two it
changes its habits and becomes lively and ener-
getic throughout the day. In captivity ratels will
thrive on fresh meat supplemented by fruit, rats,
mice, and some honeycomb occasionally. Fresh
meat and bananas is the chief food of the two which
I have. On a diet of meat only they are apt to
have seizures similar to epileptic fits. Our old friend
Jeannie got fits nearly every day for a week, and
on inquiry I found that the caretaker had been
feeding her exclusively on raw meat. When fruit
was added to this diet she completely recovered.

Several ratels placed in the same cage together
agree all right. At first the new arrival is some-
what teased, and is apt to resent it in a surly way,
but soon becomes friendly, and enters with the
greatest of zest into all the games and gambols,
for ratels are as playful as monkeys — in fact far
160

THE HONEY RATEL

more so, for they will play without resting the
entire day.

Unlike the monkey, the ratel is not a treacherous
pet. Once tamed it can be depended upon. Of
the many hundreds of animal and bird pets I have
had, the ratel has proved the most amusing and
lovable. Coming home dispirited, weary, and dis-
heartened, the warm welcome given me by my pet
ratel, combined with its good-natured, cheerful ways,
removed much of the gloom from my mind.

A farmer friend had a most unenviable experience
with a ratel. I was staying with him for a few
days and was much interested in his collection of
bee-hives, which were all in up-to-date boxes.
Awakening one morning and sallying forth I was
astonished to find the air full of bees. They soon
made their presence manifest to me, and I retreated
hastily indoors, smarting from a multitude of stings.
Utilising a mosquito bed-net, my friend and I
enveloped ourselves and went forth to find that
one or more of the rascally ratels had visited the
hives during the night and ' overturned about a
dozen of them.

These we fixed up, and eventually the infuriated
bees became pacified, but not before much mischief
had been done, for they had fiercely assaulted all
the stock in the vicinity. A score or more of
chickens had been stung to death. One ostrich,
to escape the bees, had dashed 'into a fence and
broken its neck, and another had snapped its leg in
VOL. ii 161 ii

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

a similar manner. The herd of cows had broken
out of the kraal and were careering over the veld,
and all the Hottentot farm hands had fled.

My friend, realising that unless the ratels were
destroyed he would have no peace, since having
tasted of his honey they would be sure to turn up
again, determined to hunt them down.

Getting together a number of natives and dogs,
we systematically searched a neighbouring kloof,
and late in the afternoon located a pair of ratels
in a hole excavated between two large rocks and
under another which was overhanging. After con-
siderable trouble the natives dug the ratels out
and speared them with their assegais.

162

THE STRIPED MUISHOND OR STINK
CAT OF SOUTH AFRICA

(Ictonyx capensis)
Syn. : Zorilla striata

Iqaqa of the Amaxosa (Cloete]

THE Striped Muishond, otherwise known as the
Stink Cat and Polecat, is found in all parts of South
Africa, and occurs as far north as Central Africa.
Although the only species found south of the
Zambesi and Cunene Rivers, there are four other
kinds in Central and Northern Africa, viz. the
Senegal Zorille (Ictonyx senegalensis), Suakin Zorille
(Ictonyx erythrece}, Libyan Zorille (Ictonyx libyca),
and Brindled Zorille (Ictonyx frenata) . The Striped
Muishond, although common, is seldom seen by
the casual observer, for the reason that it sleeps
in the recesses of its burrow by day and hunts by
night.

This muishond and its near relative, the Snake
Muishond, take the place in South Africa of the
weasel of Europe and the skunks of America.

The Striped Muishond is provided with power-
ful claws on its front feet. With these it tunnels

163

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

into the soil in search of insect food, and burrows
down to the innermost hiding-places of rats and mice,
devouring both the adults and young. Nothing
of a fleshy nature comes amiss to the muishond,
and it is by no means particular whether its diet
be carrion or living prey. Like all of its tribe,
it is bold and bloodthirsty. If surprised it invari-
ably faces the aggressor and even boldly advances
to the attack, emitting a rapid succession of shrill
and discordant yells.

A friend, who was a recent arrival from Ireland,
was staying with me in Natal. One evening on
his way home he was dreamily walking along a
Kafir path through the estate when a muishond
happened to be wending its way along the same path
in the opposite direction. The two met, and the
muishond sprang at him.

The flashing phosphorescent eyes, and the sharp,
rapidly-repeated screams of the creature terrified
my friend so thoroughly that he instantly raced
off like a hare, imagining some formidable beast
was about to devour him. I have often seen men
in an extremity of terror, but not more so than that
" tenderfoot " from oversea. However, the sudden
appearance of two luminous eyes and a rapid suc-
cession of shrill yells of as fine a pitch as the
highest violin note, from out of the darkness in a
strange and lonely bush-covered place, where
weird shadows prevailed, was enough to shake the
nerve of even a seasoned naturalist.
164

THE STRIPED MUISHOND OR STINK CAT

The mission in life of the muishond is a good and
useful one. Like all the weasel tribe, it is a most
bloodthirsty creature. Nothing comes amiss to
it. Insects are sought out among the herbage
and devoured, or if the soil abounds in their larvae
it digs down after them. The large white grubs
found in manure heaps, which are the larvae of the
Rhinoceros Beetle, are an especial dainty, and, in
consequence, if heaps of manure are in the vicinity
of its lair, the muishond visits them nightly, and
at these times may easily be captured with the aid
of dogs.

The powers of scent possessed by the muishond
are superior to those of the bloodhound. Once
upon the track there is little chance of ultimate
escape for the hunted creature.

The muishond is a slow runner, and when it
startles a hare the latter is off at a bound. The
pursuer is in no hurry. It does not even trouble to
raise its head to see which direction the hare
has taken, but, with tail bent over its back and nose
to the ground, it starts off on the trail at a slow trot.
Time and again the hare is startled by the sudden
apparition of its dreaded enemy, until eventually
the creature gets so terrified that it becomes dazed ;
and when the muishond again appears it either hops
around aimlessly or else throws itself upon its side
and screams shrilly. The implacable hunter in-
stantly seizes it by the throat, and the sharp canine
teeth soon cut through the jugular vein. The
165

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

blood is then eagerly lapped up, and a portion of
the tenderest of the flesh is eaten. The rest is
abandoned, and, as a rule, the hunter does not
return to it, knowing probably it would be of little
use to do so, for the many other carnivorous
denizens of the bush-veld soon smell it out and
devour it.

Some years ago I fenced in some acres on an
estate in Natal, and let loose two score of rabbits.
At first they bred rapidly, but the muishonds
found them out and, climbing over and digging
under the wire netting at night, they soon destroyed
them all. One of these rabbits was very tame,
and on the least alarm bolted off to my residence
and sought refuge under my bed. One bright
moonlight evening I was sitting on the stoep and
observed a dark form bounding down the avenue.
It turned out to be my tame rabbit, which in its
terror did not notice me, but vanished indoors.
Presently I saw in the moonlight a dark form, with
nose to the ground and tail elevated, following the
trail of the rabbit at a slow trot, and so intent was
it on its pursuit of its intended victim that it did
not observe me, and was about to pass through
the open doorway when I sprang up. With a
succession of fierce yells it instantly faced me.
I as rapidly retired out of range of its peculiar
but effective mode of defence, which is one of the
most evil-smelling substances imaginable. It is
a fluid, yellow in colour, secreted by certain anal
166

THE STRIPED MUISHOND OR STINK CAT

glands, and when the muishond is attacked it turns
its back to the foe and discharges several jets of
this pungent scent, which is so nauseating that
few animals can tolerate it, and instantly flee.
Occasionally a dog is bold enough to rush in and
attack a muishond notwithstanding the dreadful
smell. The fluid is stored up in these anal glands
and can be discharged at will.

Fear is often expressed lest rabbits might become
a scourge in South Africa, as they have done in
Australia. This cannot possibly happen so long
as the muishond, mungoose, wild cat, and Eagle-
owl inhabit the country. The striped muishond
alone is capable of keeping their numbers in check.
However, because muishonds sometimes cause de-
struction among poultry, and eat the smaller species
of game birds and animals, the hand of practically
every colonist is against them. In self-defence,
muishonds in the vicinity of the dwelling of the
poultry breeder must be destroyed, but it is a foolish
policy to shoot and otherwise do them to death
away out in the wilds where they are fulfilling their
mission of maintaining the balance of Nature.
Plagues of destructive insects, animals, and in-
fectious disease have, in the past, ravaged
various countries through sportsmen indiscrimi-
nately destroying the native carnivorous animals
and birds of prey, because they kill and devour a
percentage of the creatures which he desires to
slay and eat himself.

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

The muishond frequently burrows into sod
fences and makes its lair therein. One day I set
a Kafir to dig one out. He came upon it rather
suddenly, and before we were aware of the fact
I had received a stream of scent upon my coat,
vest, and trousers. The odour was so horrible
and nauseating that I felt symptoms similar to the
worst form of sea sickness. I bolted off at full
speed for home, a distance of about a quarter of
a mile, discarding my garments as I ran.

I subsequently asked my native groom if he
would like to have the suit, which was a new one.
He accepted it jubilantly, with many an ejaculation
of delight. I told him the smell wouldn't come off,
but he only smiled a smile of incredulity, and
remarked that he would soon wash it out. The
clothing was steeped in warm soapy water over-
night, and was thoroughly washed the following
day. A few days later the native gloomily admitted
I was right, and that he scrubbed the clothes till
he was exhausted, but the smell remained.

A year later, when turning over lumber in an
outhouse in quest of Night Adders (Causus rhom-
beatus) which had become rather troublesome,
I came across that suit hanging from a peg, but it
smelled as strongly as ever.

The muishond will boldly attack animals con-
siderably larger than itself. Sometimes it steals
upon a sleeping hare unawares, and should it succeed
in obtaining a grip with its teeth, the hare is doomed,
1 68

THE STRIPED MUISHOND OR STJNK CAT

for, although it may bound oft', the muishond
stubbornly holds on, allowing its body to hang
limp and bump over the ground as the hare races
frantically away.

The instant the hare ceases running, a fresh grip
is taken, which usually, within a few minutes,
ends the life of the victim. Many a time I have,
when returning home about dusk, seen muishonds
in the act of devouring venomous snakes, and on
other occasions have witnessed the snake being
killed.

They will attack and kill the largest cobra.
Sometimes in the fight they get bitten and die,
for they are not immune to snake venom, as I have
satisfactorily ascertained by a series of experiments.
It, however, requires a large dose of venom to
kill one.

On one occasion I introduced a Cape Cobra
(Naia ftava) into a spacious cage containing a
muishond. The reptile instantly reared and re-
mained on the defensive. With tail turned over
its back, the muishond began circling round the
snake, ever and anon making pretence to dart in at
it. Each time it did this the cobra lunged fiercely
forward, but the nimble little animal sprang aside,
and the head of the snake struck the floor of the cage
with a thud. However, so rapidly did it recover
itself that the muishond did not get an opportunity
of inflicting a bite. This went on for a full half
hour, until the snake was beginning to show signs
169

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

of fatigue. It did not now recover so quickly
-when it lunged forward. The muishond was not
slow to notice this, for it boldly darted forward
and nipped the snake's neck before it could with-
draw and elevate its head. Twice it gripped the
snake and sprang aside, but on the third occasion
it seized the reptile by the head and held on
tenaciously until the skull was crushed to frag-
ments, and without pausing it deliberately chewed
up the snake's head and swallowed it. It then
dined off a portion of the body and, leaving the
rest, trotted off into a corner of the cage and, coil-
ing up, went off to sleep.

An interesting account of a fight between a
cobra and a muishond is related in the Zambesi
Mission Record for July 1912. It is as follows :

" One moonlight evening last winter, Br. Arnold
was walking down one of the paths on the plateau
at Dunbrody, when he saw a most curious and
interesting sight. On the path just in front of
him a deadly battle was being waged between a
polecat and a yellow cobra some four feet long.
The little skunk, with its tail turned right over
its back, was leaping nimbly from side to side,
ever looking for an opportunity of biting the snake,
and whenever the latter made a dart at it the pole-
cat turned swiftly round and bombarded the cobra.
Two of the Fathers were called to witness the
combat, and for more than half an hour they re-
mained there, spectators of a rare and most charming
170

THE STRIPED MUISHOND OR STINK CAT

sight, especially delighted in the graceful move-
ments of the little cat. The cobra was at length
placed hors de combat by a bite upon its neck, and then
the polecat dragged it out of the path and began
to devour its head. One of the Fathers who had
witnessed the fight, wishing to ascertain the length
of the snake, seized its tail and drew it out straight.
The polecat, instead of showing any signs of fear,
kept fast hold of the head and growled angrily,
just as a cat does if disturbed while devouring a
mouse."

When attacking a cobra the muishond makes a
few feints, and when the snake strikes, it rushes
forward and seizes the reptile by the head or neck
before it is able to recover and deliver a second
thrust. When attacking sluggish snakes such as
the Puff Adder, it usually approaches the reptile
from behind, and with a sudden rush it is upon
the snake, and instantly grips it by the neck, the
vertebrae of which it crushes. The fur is thick, and
the skin tough, and when bitten by a snake on the
back, the fangs, as a rule, do not penetrate, or not
sufficiently so to enable the reptile to inject a fatal
dose of venom.

Of course if a muishond or a mungoose should
happen to be slightly bitten several times by
venomous snakes and recover, they would become
more or less immune to snake venom, but none
of these animals, so far as experimented upon,
have shown any noticeable degree of immunity.
171

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

Birds, their young, and eggs are a favourite diet
of the muishond. However, it is only those species
which live and breed upon the ground which are
levied toll upon.

The chief diet of this bloodthirsty little animal
consists of rats and mice. There are a large
number of species or kinds of these destructive
rodents native to South Africa, in addition to those
which have been introduced into the country.
Rats and mice, as everybody knows, breed with great
rapidity, and if it were not for the smaller carni-
vorous animals and birds of prey of this country
these destructive creatures would become a scourge
and cause immense damage, and probably dissemi-
nate many virulent diseases among men and
domestic animals.

The muishond hunts these rats and mice above
ground and underground, and will spend hours
patiently digging them out of their subterranean
retreats.

Another rodent animal which is a curse to the
agriculturalist is the Springhare or Springhaas (Pe-
detes coffer). This animal is about the size of an
ordinary hare, and is kangaroo-like in shape. It
lives in burrows excavated by itself, and the muis-
hond is one of its most dreaded enemies, for it
penetrates to the innermost recesses of its burrow
and destroys both adults and young. The muis-
hond in this way confers an immense service upon
man, for the Springhare is an unmitigated pest
172

The life-size head of a Striped Muishond, showing its strong
carnivorous teeth. Note the large canine teeth with which it
penetrates the throats of its victims.

A pair of baby Striped Muishonds in a man's hand. Their eyes
are not yet open. Three were taken from a burrow in a sod
fence.

THE STRIPED MUISHOND OR STINK CAT

for the reason that its food is of a strictly
vegetarian nature, and it plays havoc with the crops
and vegetable gardens.

The muishond, however, has incurred the hatred
of the poultry breeder. One of these bloodthirsty
little fellows gained access to my fowl-house one
night and killed twenty-one fowls. In each case
the neck bones near the base of the skull were
crushed, or the throat torn out, or both. The
dogs the following morning traced the murderer
to an adjacent tree. It was lodged between two
large branches ten feet from the ground. When
dragged down and killed it was found to be greatly
distended with the blood of its victims. This is
the only instance I have known of a muishond
climbing a tree.

The muishond is exceedingly tough and hard
to kill. I have seen them worried by large dogs,
and apparently they were little short of a pulpy
mass, yet when cast aside they were found in an
hour or two to have revived and had vanished into
the bush. On an occasion one of them was sur-
prised in the act of devouring a pigeon, and my
native boy gave chase, and overtaking it battered the
creature with a stout stick until it was apparently
dead. Bringing the muishond home, he cast it upon
the roof of an outhouse, and returning in an hour's
time to skin it, he found it had vanished. He
traced its spoor in the mud for some distance,
but failed to recover it.

173

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

The young are born and suckled by the mother in
a cavity at the end of a burrow, usually in a bank
or sod fence. Instead of a burrow, the muishond
sometimes takes possession of a crevice in the rocks,
in a hollow tree, or fallen log, the rotten pith of
which it scrapes out. Sometimes it is found in
the deserted holes of other animals.

The number of young ones at a birth is usually
two or three. In captivity the muishond becomes
very tame, and in a short while gets attached to
whoever is in the habit of feeding it. For many
years in Natal I kept muishonds in captivity,
sometimes in cages, and at other times chained up.
The animal, if chained, must be secured round the
loins, as it is able to easily withdraw its head if a
strap is fastened round its neck. In captivity the
muishond is odourless, and will not eject its dis-
gusting fluid unless purposely irritated or fright-
ened, nor will it attempt to bite. It can often
be tamed so effectually that it may be allowed to
roam at large like a household cat, and will not
wander away. It is at these times very useful in
devouring rats, mice, and troublesome insects,
and destroying any snakes which might venture
near the homestead. Fowls and pigeons must,
however, be kept out of its way. It is far more
useful to a farmer than a cat when thoroughly
domesticated, for the reason that it burrows
into the stacks of forage, lucerne, and other
produce after the rats and mice, which do so

'74

THE STRIPED MUISHOND OR STINK CAT

much damage to the stacked grain and other
crops.

I happened to be camping about a score of years
ago out in the wilds in Natal with half a dozen
friends. It was a winter's night and bitterly cold,
and we were all snugly tucked up in our blankets
listening to the interesting experiences of a hardy
old Boer hunter. It seems our retriever dog was
in a restless mood that night, and went off alone
on the prowl. Coming across a polecat, he attacked
it and got well sprayed with its perfume. Re-
turning in disgust to camp, he thrust his body
under the folds of our tent and calmly proceeded
to make himself comfortable on my blanket.
Like wound-up steel springs suddenly released,
we all shot from our blankets and were out in the
bitterly cold frosty air in our night garments in
less time than it takes to write half a line of this
narrative. We howled at the dog, and hurled a
sundry assortment of words at him, but he heeded
us not. Eventually one of our number unlaced
the tent door, gripped his nose with his numbed
finger and thumb, and, darting in, drove the odori-
ferous creature out. Presently we heard a volley
of ejaculations from under the wagon near by,
and surmised the dog had endeavoured to seek
sanctuary among our Zulu servants.

In the volume entitled The Monkeyfolk of South
Africa an incident is related which is worth re-
peating here to illustrate more forcibly the pun-

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

gency of the scent of the polecat. A tame baboon
is made to tell the story. It is as follows :

" One day my little friend, the terrier, cornered
an animal which you called a Muishond or Stink
Cat. Scientific fellows -call him Zorilla striata.
We both rushed on him together, but the little
rascal sent a spray of some vile-smelling fluid over
us. I couldn't stand it and retired. My terrier
friend, however, rushed in, for his blood was up.
After a fight he killed the muishond. But, Great
Cicero ! ! didn't he just smell. Have you ever
smelt musk ? Well, try to imagine musk and
incense, the smell of putrefying cabbages, and a
lot of other evil-smelling things all mixed together,
and you will have a slight idea of what that Stink
Cat's perfume was like. We rolled in the dry dust
and the grass, but the smell wouldn't come off. I
felt sick, just as you folk feel when you are on a
ship and the sea is very rough. My chum seemed
quite chirpy and said he didn't mind the smell
much. He was used to smells. It was his business
in life to smell out things.

" I thought, however, that my master might like
the muishond ; so I seized his tail and dragged
his body to the wagon. My master was lying on
his back smoking a pipe, and the Kafirs were telling
each other very tall yarns about the number of
cattle they possessed, and the number of wives
they were going to buy when they settled down.
With a volley of forcible exclamations the Kafirs

THE SNAKE MUISHOND

started up and scattered. My master hastily
climbed up into the wagon and yelled at us to
Voert-z-ik, which means to l clear out ' or go away.
My chum and I had to eat our meals by ourselves
for a week or more after that. In addition we
had to sleep out in the cold at night, because the
Kafirs refused to let us creep in under the tar-
paulin-covered wagon where they slept at night."

THE SNAKE MUISHOND

(Pcecilogale albinucha)
Also known as the Slang Muishond or Snake Weasel

THIS muishond has the true shape of the typical
weasel. It inhabits the eastern parts of South
Africa, and extends from the Cape Province through
Natal and north to Angola and Nyasaland. It
forms burrows out in the bush- veld and hillsides.
Its habits are, in general, similar to those of the
Striped Muishond, but it is more secretive in
disposition, and avoids the vicinity of man. It
will track down animals as large as a hare, and once
it obtains a grip on its victim it will not let go. A
hunter related to me how he once saw a large bird
of prey drop into the grass, and next instant
soared away, gripping some creature, which seemed
to be struggling desperately in its powerful talons.
When high up in the air the bird seemed to be in
difficulties. A fight, apparently, was taking place
VOL. ii 177 12

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

aloft. Presently the bird turned two or three
somersaults, but recovered its balance. Then down
it came with a rush, striking the ground with a
fearful thud. The gentleman ran to where the
bird had fallen, and was startled to observe a
Snake Muishond, which, on hearing him approach,
raised its head and presently vanished into the
grass. On examining the bird he found it to be
dying. Its throat had been dreadfully lacerated.
When it stooped upon that Snake Muishond it
evidently caught a " Tartar."

Although this weasel is as bloodthirsty as its
European cousin, and destroys hares and game
birds, it must be borne in mind that it is an in-
veterate enemy of rats, mice, the young and eggs
of snakes, and hosts of noxious insects.

Apart from these invaluable services, the Snake
Muishond is entitled to the protection of man
for the reason that it preys upon that destructive
rodent known as the Springhare or Springhaas
(Pedetes coffer), which does so much damage to the
crops and vegetable gardens. Like the European
Weasel, it follows these animals into their burrows
and destroys large numbers of them. If a nestful
of young Springhares is found in the burrow, the
Snake Muishond kills them all, although it may only
be able to eat one or two. It will boldly attack
and kill an adult Springhare. Sometimes when
the creature is gripped by the Muishond, it will
rush out of its burrow with the keen little hunter
178

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bo P

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T3 in

THE SNAKE MUISHOND

hanging tenaciously to its throat, and will bound
away until it either falls exhausted or becomes
paralysed through terror.

Once a Snake Muishond secures a firm grip with
its jaws it will not let go, and stoically endures the
terrific bumping it gets when its victim races off
in the hope of getting rid of the incubus.

In Great Britain the destruction of the smaller
native carnivorous animals by the gamekeepers is
the cause of financial losses to the farmers of many
millions sterling annually, through the destruction
caused by rats and mice.

In captivity the Snake Muishond soon becomes
tame, and makes a gentle and interesting pet.
I have kept them alive at various times, both in
Natal and the Cape Province. They will eat any-
thing of the nature of flesh. Both they and the
Striped Muishond devour locusts with avidity.

These curious little weasels are termed Snake
Muishonds because of their elongated bodies, not
because of their snake-eating propensities, al-
though snakes do form a portion of their very
varied diet.

From the nose to the tip of the tail the length
of an adult averages eighteen inches. The head
is as broad as the body, and consequently where-
ever the head can go, the body can follow.

Although widely scattered in the eastern parts
of South Africa, the Snake Muishond is rarely seen,
because of its secretive and nocturnal habits.
179

THE CAPE SEA LION

(drctocephalus pusillus)
Also known as the Hair Seal ; Sea Dog ; Robbe

ALTHOUGH not an inhabitant of the land or the
rivers of South Africa, yet the Cape Seal or Sea
Lion is claimed as one of our native fauna for the
reason that it inhabits the bays, oceans, and islands
about the coast.

The seal is one of the carnivorous or flesh-eating
animals, and in this respect it is related to the cat
and dog tribe. Without knowing anything of its
habits, a glance at its teeth is sufficient to convince
any naturalist that it is one of the carnivorous
tribe of animals. However, it differs in its bodily
organisation to all the flesh-eating land animals,
for, instead of having well-developed legs and toes,
it has flippers and finned feet. It is, in conse-
quence, known as a Pinniped or Fin-footed car-
nivore, and its carnivorous relatives which dwell
on the land are known as Fissiped carnivores, or,
in other words, flesh-eating animals with separate
toes. The paddle-like feet of the seal furnish a
remarkable instance of the evolutionary processes
180

THE CAPE SEA LION

of Nature. The ancestors of seals, en-
compassed by enemies against which they could
not successfully contend, and finding a plentiful
supply of food in the water, gradually became
aquatic in their habits ; and in the course of ages
the body assumed a more rounded shape ; the under
fur grew closer and finer, and the feet developed
a flipper-like form perfectly adapted for propelling
the animal swiftly through the water.

The Cape Sea Lion or Hair Seal belongs to a
different family, and is quite distinct from the true
seals of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The
chief difference is that the Sea Lions are able to
use their hind limbs to aid them in climbing rocks
and waddling along on land by bringing them
forward under the body ; whereas the hind limbs
of the true seals stick out straight behind, and
cannot be brought forward, except in the case of a
few species which can bring them forward to a
limited degree. Another difference is the Sea
Lion has external ears, whereas true seals do not
possess them.

The Cape Sea Lion, like all the seal tribe, is just
an ordinary flesh-eating or carnivorous, warm-
blooded, air-breathing animal which lives in the
sea, and is not, as popularly supposed, a kind of
fish. They are in reality four-footed animals
which have become adapted to the environment
in which they live.

Sea Lions inhabit the coasts of South Africa
181

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

from Walfisch Bay on the west to Algoa Bay on the
east. They do not land on the mainland, except
when driven ashore by a violent gale. After severe
storms young seals of various ages, up to a year,
have been captured on the Algoa Bay beach, alive
and in an exhausted condition. On one occasion
two adults took refuge in the mouth of the Zwart-
kops River.

At intervals along the coasts of South Africa
there are vast accumulations of the remains of shells
known as Kitchen Middens. In the distant past
a race of pygmy yellow men dwelt in the rock
shelters and caves and used roughly chipped stones
for tools and weapons ; and in more recent times
a tribe very similar in appearance and closely
related to these yellow pygmies, but of greater
stature, and known as Hottentots, inhabited the
coasts. These wild yellow men scoured the beaches
and gathered shellfish for food. The remains
were thrown down on or near the beach, and in
course of time great masses accumulated. In these
Kitchen Middens the bones of Sea Lions are fre-
quently found, indicating that these animals fre-
quented the beaches in the past, for the occasional
drifting ashore of one of them would not account
for the quantities of bones I have found from
time to time in these Kitchen Middens. Near the
mouth of the Zwartkops River, at Algoa Bay, I
discovered a large accumulation of the bones of
seals in a Kitchen Midden, which indicated that a
182

THE CAPE SEA LION

great slaughter of seals had taken place at some
special time, as the remains were not mixed at
different levels with the shells and other debris,
but were all on the same level. In every instance
the skull had been broken open to obtain the brain
for food. The mouth of the Zwartkops River, no
doubt, in the past furnished a favourite breeding-
ground of these seals, but incessant persecution
drove them to the various islands off the coast,
where they were secure from the attacks of these
South African aborigines, for none possessed boats.
At Bird Island, near Algoa Bay, there is a large
herd of Sea Lions which may be seen at any time
of year on or about great masses of rock jutting out
of the ocean near the island. I visited Bird Island
one day, and so tame were the seals that they took
little or no notice of the tug. Several large shaggy-
maned males, almost as large as oxen, were fighting
fiercely with one another. A couple, locked in a
fierce embrace, rolled over and over down the
ragged rocks into the water, where they continued
their battle. When the tug whistle was blown
several times in quick succession, the Sea Lions of
all sizes made for the water in great alarm, rolling,
tumbling, and climbing down the rocks in their
haste to reach their native element, where they
dived and swam with the greatest of ease and
grace. These seals were in the past strictly pro-
tected, and in consequence their numbers increased
rapidly, so much so that they became a menace

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

to local fishing industry, and Government gave
permission for a limited number to be destroyed,
which was easily done by surprising them on land
when basking in the sun, and spearing and clubbing
them. The commercial value of their skins on
the London market averaged from twenty to thirty
shillings each. The flesh is not used for any pur-
pose, although it is wholesome enough.

The chief islands around the South African
coast where Sea Lions resort to breed are
Hollam's Isle, south of Walfisch Bay ; Long Island,
near Agra Pequena ; Jacob's Rock, in Saldahna
Bay ; Robbensteen, in Table Bay ; and Dyer
Island, off the Caledon coast.

Between the months of November and January
the females visit these islands and give birth to
two pups. Sea Lions breed once yearly, the
period of gestation being twelve months, the female
being impregnated again shortly after the pups
are born. The young seals are suckled for
three to four months, and during this period
should they happen to lose their mother they,
as a rule, are adopted by another mother seal which
rears them, in addition to her own pups. During
the time the young are being suckled the mother
never ventures far from them, confining her fishing
operations to the adjacent shallows. When the cubs
are old enough to eat fish and hunt for themselves
they make for the water, and do not return again
to their place of birth.

THE CAPE SEA LION

Sea Lions are polygamous. The males swim
off in advance of the females, each bent upon secur-
ing the most favourable site for a family home.
Desperate battles take place, resulting in the
stronger ones securing the best situations on the
island.

On the arrival of the females, fighting is again
resumed, the endeavour of each male being to secure
as many females for his harem as he possibly can,
and, of course, the stronger males secure the greater
number, which averages usually from a dozen to ,
twenty. This is a wise provision of Nature, for
in this way the most robust of the male seals per-
petuate the species and prevent the race de-
teriorating.

After the arrival of all the females, fighting
ceases, and the males mount guard over their re-
spective establishments. Should one of them ven-
ture to leave his harem to secure a meal of fish in
the sea, the others instantly take advantage of his
absence to steal away some of his family. How-
ever, after a time, when the amative excitement
of the males subsides they are not so furiously
jealous, and venture into the shallows adjacent to
hunt for fish for a meal. When the males arrive first
on the islands they are sleek and fat, and it is well
for them that they have a surplus of fatty tissue,
for so great is their jealousy of one another, and so
carefully do they guard the females and cubs, that
for several weeks they fast completely, not even
185

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

visiting the shallow waters near by, for fear lest
during their absence other males may interfere
with their family arrangements. When they at
last venture to leave their family for short periods
in order to obtain food, they are weak and emaciated.

The diet of these seals consists entirely of fish —
mostly small ones. They are large animals, and
consequently consume great quantities of the finny
tribe, which they seem to be able to capture with
comparative ease.

The male Sea Lions arrive at maturity in about
three years. These males, with increasing years,
grow larger and more powerful, and develop a
mane of long coarse hairs all round the neck, which
is a good protection against the teeth of rivals.
The female seals have no trace of a mane.

The canine teeth of the old male seals are large
and strong. These are efficient weapons, backed
up by the powerful muscles of the jaws, acting
in conjunction with the great masses of strong
muscular fibre on the neck, chest, and shoulders.

The teeth of the cubs are well developed and
sharp at an early age. The cubs are beautiful
little creatures with big black luminous eyes. They
have a loud and plaintive cry like that of a kid in
distress, but somewhat shriller. I kept several
Sea Lion cubs alive at the Port Elizabeth Museum
for a couple of weeks, and taught them to take milk
from a baby's sucking bottle. For the first three
or four days their bleating cries were deafening.
1 86

Two baby Sea Lions which were cast up alive on Algoa Bay
beach during a storm.

THE CAPE SEA LION

Seals are rarely killed at sea, for the reason that
they are such expert swimmers and divers ; but on
land, where they go to rear their young, shed their
fur, or to bask in the sun's rays, they are ungainly,
awkward, and slow, and are in consequence easily
surprised and slain with clubs. A heavy blow is
dealt upon the skull, which kills them instantly.
Spears are not often used, for the reason that the
hide is damaged by the perforations.

The newly-born cubs have beautiful, short,
glossy fur, which is quite black. However, the
coat soon becomes silvery grey, owing to the tips
of the hairs gradually becoming white.

Adult seals are dark brown in colour. They
possess a soft woolly under-fur which is light brown.
This is hidden from view by the longer coarse
hair which covers the body of the animal.

The average length of an adult male is about six
feet from the nose to the tail, which is but a stump.
Some old males have been known to attain a length
of eight feet, and were massive in proportion.
The massiveness is confined to the neck and shoul-
ders, giving these creatures enormous strength.
The average length of a female is about four and a
half feet.

Sea Lions are not true fur-bearing seals, and
consequently are not much sought after, their
pelts not being nearly so valuable as those of the
fur seals. The finest skins are those of the females
and young males.

187

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

The skins are prepared for use by shaving away
with a sharp knife the inner layer of skin. This
process cuts off the roots of the long coarse hair,
which is deeper rooted than the soft under-fur,
and it thus becomes loose and may be brushed off,
leaving the soft fur still adhering to the skin.

When prepared and dressed ready for converting
into various articles of apparel and adornment,
the fur is quite as soft and glossy as that of the
Arctic seal, but it is shorter, which makes it of
much lesser commercial value.

188

CLASSIFICATION OF THE ANIMALS
MENTIONED IN THIS BOOK

Family : VIVERRID^E

The Civet Tribe
(Including Civets, Genets, Mungooses, Meerkats, etc.)

This family of carnivorous animals differ externally from
the true cats in having longer heads, sharper muzzles, and
shorter legs.

Some of the family are digitigrade, and others are planti-
grade. The number of toes on each foot is usually five ;
there are, however, some exceptions. They have a larger
number of teeth than the members of the Felidae family.

The representatives of this family are confined to the Old
World, with the exception of Australia and Papua. The
greater number of species occur in Africa and Asia.

Species
(Inhabiting South Africa)

1. Viverra civetta, Schreb.

2. Genetta tigrina, Schreb.

3. Genetta felina, Thunb.

4. Genetta ludia, Thos. and Schw. P.Z.S., 1906, p. 579.

5. Genetta rubiginosa, Puch.

6. Mungos cafer, Gmel.

7. Mungos caaui, A. Smith. App. Rep. Ex, C.A., p. 42 (1836).

8. Mungos ratlamuchi, A. Smith. App. Rep. Ex. C.A., p. 42

(1836).

9. Mungos caaui swinnyi. Ann. Trans. Mus., vol. iv. (1913).
10. Mungos auratus, Thos. and Wrought. P.Z.S., 1908,

P- 543-

189

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

11. Mungos paludinosus typicus, G. Cuv. Regne Anim.,

ed. 2, i. p. 158 (1829).

na. Mungos paludinosus rubellus, Thos. and Wrought.
P.Z.S., 1908, p. 166.

12. Mungos pulverulentus, Wagn.

13. Mungos punctatissimus, Temm.

14. Mungos grandis, Thos.

15. Mungos albicauda, Cuv.

1 6. Mungos ruddi, Thos. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (7), xii.

p. 465 (1903).

17. Mungos ignitus. Ann. Trans. Mus., vol. iv., 1913.

1 8. Helogale parvula, Sund.

19. Helogale brunnula, Thos. and Schw. P.Z.S., 1906,

p. 581.

20. Rhynchogale melleri, Gray.

21. Crossarchus fasciatus typicus, Desm.

2ia. Crossarchus fasciatus senescens, Thos. and Wrought.
P.Z.S., 1907, p. 291.

22. Cynictis penicillata typica, Cuv.

22a. Cynictis penicillata intensa, Schw. P.Z.S., 1906, i.

p. 104.
226. Cynictis penicillata steedmanni, Ogil. P.Z.S., 1833,

p. 49.
22c. Cynictis penicillata ogilbyi, A. Smith. South African

Quart. Journ., ii. p. 117 (1834).
22<2. Cynictis penicillata pallidior, Thos. and Schw. P.Z.S.,

1904, i. p. 175.

220. Cynictis penicillata leptura, Smith. ///. South African
Zool. Mamm., pi. xvii. (1839).

23. Cynictis selousi, de Wint.

24. Bdeogale crassicauda, Pet. Reis. Moss. Saug., 1852,

p. 119 ; P.Z.S., 1908, p. 168.

25. Suricata suricatta typica, Erxl.

250. Suricata suricatta namaquensis, Thos. and Schw. P.Z.S.,

1905, i. p. 134.

256. Suricata suricatta hamiltoni, Thos. and Schw. P.Z.S.,

1905, i. p. 134.
25C. Suricata suricatta lophurus, Thos. and Schw. P.Z.S.,

1905, i. p. 133.

I90

CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS

Family : PROTELID.E

There is only one species representing this family. It
differs from all others of the flesh-eating tribe by reason of
the molar teeth being small, practically rudimentary, and
set far apart in the jaw, in such a way as to be of no use for
masticating food. The animal is hyaena-like in form ; the
fore feet have five toes, and the hind feet four toes.

The Aard Wolf is confined to Africa, from the Cape to
Angola and Somaliland.

Species
i. Proteles cristatus, Sparrm.

Family :

Flesh-eating animals with bodies sloping down from the
shoulder to the rump, owing to the front legs being longer
than the hind ones.

Teeth large and powerful ; strong bony crest to the skull
for the attachment of large jaw muscles.

Head broad and heavy ; tail less than half the length of
the body ; fur loose and long. General appearance ungainly.

The members of the family are confined to Africa and
Southern Asia.

Species
(Inhabiting South Africa)

1. Hyana brunnea, Thunb.

2. Hyesna crocuta, Erxl.

Division : CYNOIDEA
Family : CANID.E
(The Dogs, Wolves, Jackals, and Foxes)

This group of carnivorous animals is distinguished from
other families of the same tribe by reason of certain differ-
ences in the formation of the skull, viz. the bulla is inflated

NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

and bladder-like, and is without any internal partition, the
paroccipital process is prominent, and although in contact
with the bulla is not applied to it, as is the case with the
genera Felidae and Viverridae. Another anatomical differ-
ence is the presence of a long and coiled caecum at the junction
of the large and small intestine.

The molar teeth are triangular in shape, and nearly always
two in number.

This family is world- wide in its distribution.

Species
(Inhabiting South Africa)

1. Canis mesomelas, Schreb.

2. Canis adustus, Sund.

3'. Vulpes chama, A. Smith.

4. Otocyon megalotis, Desm.

5. Lycaon pictus venaticus, Burch.

5a. Lycaon pictus zuluensis, Thos. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (7),
xiv. p. 98 (1904).

Division : ARCTOID^E
Family : MUSTELID/E
(Otters, Ratels, Muishonds, Weasels, Martens, etc.)

Carnivorous animals with elongated bodies, short legs, and
usually provided with glands for the secretion of an un-
pleasant, musky -smelling fluid for defensive purposes.

The members of this family, with one exception, may be
distinguished by having one pair of upper and two of lower
molar teeth, and by the inner part of the upper molars
being longer from base to front than the outer side. The
exception is the Ratel, which has a single pair of molars in
the upper and lower jaws.

The members of this family inhabit all the continents,
with the exception of Australia. They are also absent in
Madagascar. The species comprising the family are ex-
ceptionally numerous in the temperate regions of the Northern
Hemisphere.

I92

CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS

Species
(Inhabiting South Africa)

1. Aonyx capensis, Schinz.

2. Lutra maculicollis , Licht.

3. Mellivora ratel, Sparr.

4. Ictonyx capensis, Kaup.

5. Pcecilogale albinucha, Gray.

Sub-order: PINNEPEDIA
(The Eared Seals, Walrus, and True Seals)

These flesh-eating mammals of the Order Carnivora have
been placed in a separate Sub-order on account of the peculiar
structure of their limbs, which are specially modified for an
aquatic life.

Family :
(The Eared Seals)

The Seals of this family may be distinguished from all
others of the group by the presence of small, well-defined
external ears ; when on land the hind flappers are turned
forwards under the body for support, and as an aid in pro-
gression. They further differ in having the soles of fore
and hind feet entirely devoid of hair ; and the nostrils are at
the end of the snout, as in terrestrial animals generally.

This family has a wide distribution over the temperate
and colder regions of both hemispheres, except in the North
Atlantic, where it is not represented, owing to the lack of
suitable breeding- grounds.

Species
(Inhabiting South Africa)

i. Arctocephalus pusillus, Schreb.

VOL. II. 193 13

ALPHABETICAL INDEX

Aard Wolf, 64.

Bakhoor, 114.
Banded Mungoose, 44.
Basin-eared Jackal, 114.
Black-backed Jackal, 92.
Black-tailed Mungoose, 21.
Brown Hyaena, 78.
Bruin Kommetje-gat-kat, 26.
Bushy-tailed Meerkat, 48.

Cape Fennec, 114.
Cape Hunting Dog, 119.
Cape Jackal, 92.
Cape Otter, 131.
Cape Sea Lion, 180.
Civet Cat, i.

Delalande's Fox, 114.
Earth Wolf, 64.

Genet, 4.

Golden Jackal, 92.
Grey Jackal, 64.
Grijse Muishond, 33.

Hair Seal, 180.
Honey Ratel, 142.

Kafir Mungoose, 21.
Kommetje-gat-kat, 21.

Large Grey Mungoose, 21.
Large-spotted Genet, 9.

Laughing Hyaena, 81.

Manhaar Jakhals, 64.
Meller's Mungoose, 43.
Misselyat-kat, 4.
Muishond, 163.
Mungoose, 13.
Musk Kat, 4.

Nadron Jackal, 64.
Neethaar, 33.

Pale Mungoose, 39.
Pepper and Salt Cat, 33.

Red Jackal, 92.
Robbe, 1 80.
Rooi Jakhals, 92.
Rooi Meerkat, 48.
Ruddy Mungoose, 24.
Rusty -spotted Genet, 12.

Sea Dog, 180.

Senegal Genet, n.

Side-striped Jackal, 107.

Silver Fox, no.

Slang Muishond, 177.

Slender Mungoose, 23.

Slender-tailed Meerkat, 57.

Small Grey Mungoose, 33.

Small -spotted Genet, n.

Smooth-nosed Mungoose, 43.
i Snake Muishond, 177.
; Snake Weasel, 177.
' Spotted Hyaena, 81.

I94

ALPHABETICAL INDEX

Spotted-necked Otter, 139.
Stink Cat, 163.
Strand Wolf, 58.
Striped Muishond, 163.

Tijger Wolf, 81.
Vaal Jakhals, no.

Wahlberg's Mungoose, 43
Water Mungoose, 26.
Web-footed Otter, 139.
Wehr Wolf, 64.
White-tailed Mungoose, 40.
Wilde Honde, 119.

Zwarte Muishond, 26.

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