Ronald Lutz, age 14, of 90  Williamsport  PA 

The mongoose, genet and civet cat belong in the animal family Viverridae, a name coined from an older word for ferret  To us, they seem strange little fellows, for they are not native to the Western World, However, in certain warm regions of Asia, Africa and southern Europe they are common everyday animals  There they play a vital role in the give and‑take of the natural wild life and once in a while wd may find ones especially the mongoose, se a devoted family pet,

In appearance, the mongoose looks somewhat like a foxy‑faced house oat with the short legs and long, lithe body of a weasel  The family Viverridas is somewhere between the oat and weasel family and its members combine some of the splendid features of both cats and weasels  They are sometimes called the weasel cats  The hungry little creatures are meat  eaters and play a vital role in keeping down the rat and mouse population, When times are hard, unlike cats and weasels, these animals can exist on a diet of fruit, insects and salad 

Most of us know that the mongoose has gained fame as a snake killer  Some of us have seen movies showing a mongoose in mortal combat with a deadly cobra, perhaps six times has size, A naturalist, or indeed any sensitive person# would view this kind of entertainment with disapproval  What's morel certain naturalists have looked into the snake and mongoose contest and found that it may not be quite genuine  Very often these shows are staged and are not what they seem to be at all 

In India, the cobra and the mongoose share the same territory and, as a rule, pay little or no attention to each other  A mongoose is an agile animal and naturally he can and will dodge the rather slow strike of a cobra 

He will then most likely bits the cobra, usually in the book of the neck

which: after the strike, lies prone on the ground  However, some researchers report that the little mongoose does not go out of his way to pick a fight with the huge cobra and for an exhibition fight he has to be goaded to attack and defend himself 

This new information will force some of us to change our opinions of the scrappy little mongoose  But to Andy, at leash it makes sense for a very good reason If the mongoose is the kind of snake hunter and killer he was formerly reported to be, then by now he would have devoured all the cobras in India; This has not happened far from it 

The legend of the cobra‑killing mongoose no doubt started with Rudyard Kipling’s story, Rikki‑Tikki‑Tavi  Rikki was a cobra‑killing mongoose of great skill and courage  But a story is dust a story ‑ even when it is one of those wonderful Kipl3ng stories and some of Rikkits qualities may have been exaggerated  The mongoose may not live up to his reputation as a snake killer, but he cannot be over praised as a pet, Like our good farm cats, he leads a double life  He spends part of his time hunting rodents and other pests and part as a playful and affectionate member of the family