HYAENAS 



411 



closed by bone. The Suricate lives in caves and rock crevices, 

 and will dig burrows. It is distinctly a diurnal animal, and sits 

 upon its hind-legs after the fashion of a Marmot. As Buffori 

 noticed in a tame specimen (thought by him to be a native of 

 Surinam), the animal barks like a dog. The Suricate is largely 

 vegetarian, living upon roots. 



FIG. 203. Suricate. Suricata tetradactyla. x . 



Fam. 4. Hyaenidae. Unlike though the Hyaenas appear to 

 be to the last family mainly perhaps on account of size they 

 are, nevertheless, very nearly akin to them, more so than to the Cat 

 tribe. It will be remembered that the striping and spotting of 

 the Hyaenas is very Genet- and Suricate-like. 



There are admittedly two genera among the Hyaenidae, 

 Hyaena itself with three species, 1 and the Aard Wolf, Proteles, with 

 but one. But Dr. Mivart considers that the Spotted Hyaena should 

 form a genus apart, Crocuta a proceeding which was initiated 

 by the late Dr. Gray of the British Museum. The Hyaenidae 

 are to be distinguished by the following characters : There are 

 generally four toes, always so in the hind-foot. The claws are 

 non-retractile. The nose and upper lip are grooved. The molar 

 formula is Pm f M \. The soles of the feet are covered with 

 hairs upon the tarsus and metatarsus. No scent glands. 

 Tail short. Dorsal vertebrae more numerous than in other 

 Aeluroids, i.e. fifteen. The bulla is divided by a rudimentary 

 septum only. 



1 For the anatomy of Hyaenas see- Morrison Watson in Proc. Zool. Soc. 1877, 

 p. 369 ; 1878, p. 416 ; and 1879, p. 79. 



