[Illustration: MANGOUSTS.]
These are small animals found in the warmest parts of Africa and Asia.
They have a low body, but are very rapid in their movements, and their
legs are so short, they have the appearance of crawling rapidly along
the ground instead of running. Their tail is long and thick at the root,
and their skin is silky and marked with colored rings.
The Mangousts make their home in marshy places where there are plenty of
Reptiles. They prefer these to any other food, although they attack
small animals and Birds. They also search for the eggs of Reptiles, and
such Birds as build on the ground. They sometimes manage to get into
poultry yards, when, like the Ferrets and Weasels, they kill all that
can be found, only eating their brains and drinking their blood.