lese, on which account it is valued at about six shillings a pod.
The smell is very powerful, and in my opinion very offensive, when the
animal is alive; but when a pod of musk is extracted and dried, it has
nothing more than the well-known scent of that used by perfumers. The
latter is more frequently the production of the musk-deer, although the
scent is possessed by many animals, and also insects, as the musk-ox,
the musk-deer, the civet or musk-cat, the musk-rat, the musk-beetle,
etc.

Of these, the musk-rat is a terrible plague, as he perfumes everything
that he passes over, rendering fruit, cake, bread, etc., perfectly
uneatable, and even flavoring bottled wine by running over the bottles.
This, however, requires a little explanation, although it is the
popular belief that he taints the wine through the glass.

The fact is, he taints the cork, and the flavor of musk is communicated
to the wine during the process of uncorking the bottle.

There is a great variety of rats in Ceylon, from the tiny shrew to the
large "bandicoot". This is a most destructive creature in all gardens,
particularly among potato crops, whole rows of which he digs out and
devours. He is a perfect rat in appearance, but he would rather
astonish one of our English tom-cats if encountered during his rambles
in search of rats, as the "bandicoot" is about the same size as the cat.

There is an immense variety of vermin throughout Ceylon, including many
of that useful species the ichneumon, who in courage and strength
stands first of his tribe. The destruction of snakes by this animal
renders him particularly respected, and no person ever thinks of
destroying him. No matter how venomous the snake, the ichneumon, or
mongoose, goes straight at him, and never gives up the contest until
the snake is vanquished.

It is the popular belief that the mongoose eats some herb which has the
property of counteracting the effects of a venomous bite; but this has
been proved to be a fallacy, as pitched battles have been witnessed
between a mongoose and the most poisonous snakes in a closed room,
where there was no possibility of his procuring the antidote. His
power consists in his vigilance and activity; he avoids the dart of the
snake, and adroitly pins him by the back of the neck. Here he maintains
his hold, in spite of the contortions and convulsive writhing of the
snake, until he succeeds in breaking the spine. A mongoose is about
three feet long