Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 6 (1902).djvu/223

Rh playful Ocelot kitten came under my notice in the autumn of 1900; and the Margay, though perhaps less often tamed than most Tiger-Cats, is capable of showing good nature, if not affection, towards its owner.

The Margay which I had was a six-months' kitten, greyish brown, spotted and streaked with blackish brown, and very rough-coated. It was a most good-tempered little thing, allowing itself to be stroked, and capable of amusing itself for an indefinite time with a dangling piece of string, an india-rubber ball, or its own tail, and it delighted to play with a broom, clawing and biting the bristly surface of this odd plaything as if it were the fur of a gigantic mouse. Not content with its own company, this cat would beg the spectator to play with it, uttering a plaintive mew of invitation, and pleased beyond expression if rolled about on the sawdust-covered floor of the cage by some bystander. At night it was extremely active, scampering about the roomy compartment which it inhabited, and rushing up the various perches to bounce off on to the floor immediately afterwards. Picking up and dropping a fowl's head time after time was another pastime in great favour. This Cat soon learnt to come at feeding-time if called "puss, puss!" If overfed it would become irritable, growling and even springing out at any intruder. Except for this, however, the animal never showed the slightest animosity towards anyone, thus contrasting very favourably with the young of some of the Felidæ, such as the kittens of the British Wild Cat (F. catus), which hiss and spit almost before they can crawl. My Cat lived all through the gloomy winter of 1900–01 in perfect health, and was eventually exchanged for a Temminck's Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros convexus).

Tiger-Cats may be fed on raw meat, fowls' heads, and milk; some will also eat fish. These animals require plenty of room; a cage nine feet long, three high, and three deep, with suitable branches for exercise should be provided. Savage individuals of this and all other Carnivora are safest when kept in cages opened by sliding the door upwards; when released, the door is self-closing by its own weight.

Genetta pardina (Pardine Genet).—Amongst the Viverridæ we find many remarkable forms, from the familiar Civet-Cat