182 



AARD WOLF. 



conduct of the Hyena, by biting off every one of its paws. This statement, curious as it may 

 seem, was corroborated by several experienced Ininters. 



Although in former days the Hyena was supposed to be a wholly untamable animal, later 

 experiments have shown that it is nearly as tractable and affectionate as a dog when it has 

 the benefit of similar treatment. It has been known to accompany its master as familiarly as 

 any dog, and to recognize him with airs of joy after a lengthened absence. The potency which 

 some persons exert over animal natures is most remarkable. It may be that such persons pour 

 much love upon all things, and therefore upon the animals with which they come in contact. 

 So love, creating love, which is the highest gift of God, and the sum of His divine attributes, 

 calls forth in animals the highest attributes of their nature, and through this higher quality, 

 develops their intellectual capacities. 



CIVETS. 



IT is generally the case with the greater divisions of animals that there exists certain 

 intermediate forms of animal life, which seem to be rather higher than the one division, and 



lower than the other, being, in fact, transi- 

 tional forms between the higher and the 

 lower groups. Thus the Colugo, or Flying 

 Lemur, is an intermediate form between 

 the monkey and bats, and the AAKD WOLF 

 is intermediate between the hyenas and 

 the Civets, belonging, however, more to 

 the latter than the fonner group of ani- 

 mals. It is much smaller than the hyenas, 

 but larger than the Civets and genetts, 

 and, indeed, has indifferently been called 

 a hyena, a jackal, or a Civet. 



The form of the Aard Wolf much 

 resembles that of the hyena, the fore- 

 quarters being powerful and well devel- 

 oped, and the hinder quarters low and 

 sloping. The general aspect of the creati n v 

 is very similar to that of the hyena, for, in 

 addition to the hyenine sloping back and 

 weak hind legs, the fur is. rough, coarse, 

 and colored in a manner not unlike that 

 of the striped hyena. The tail is very large 

 in proportion to the size of the animal, and 

 is thickly covered with long bushy hair, 

 black at the extremity, and blackish-gray 

 AABD woLF.-pmteia erittatue. on the other portions of that member. The 



back of the neck and the shoulders are 



furnished with a thick bristling mane, which it can erect when excited, and it then resembles a 

 minature striped hyena. 



The claws of the fore-feet are sturdy, and firmly attached to the paws, so as to serve their 

 proper use of digging. The Aard Wolf is an admirable excavator, and digs for itself a deep 

 burrow, where it lies concealed during the day, buried in sleep at the bottom of its mine. 

 From this habit of burrowing in the earth, the creature has derived its title of "Aard or 

 Earth Wolf." 



A curious mode of domestic arrangement is carried out by these animals. Several indi- 

 viduals seem to unite in forming a common habitation. Several deep burrows are dug, having 

 their common termination in a small chamber, where three or four Aard Wolves take up their 

 residence. Whether each animal digs and uses its own burrow, or whether the tunnels, as 



