May 1897. East African Collection of Mammals — Elliot. 149 



arrive at the attractive feast first. This Hyaena, among its other 

 accomplishments is possessed of a powerful voice which it is 

 accustomed to display in two ways, one by a succession of long 

 drawn out mournful notes, beginning low and ending in a high 

 key, and the other by sounds resembling the laughter of a 

 maniac. The first is that usually heard when the animals are 

 calling to each other, or when they come about the camp at night 

 and scent the meat or whatever excites their longing desires; 

 while the latter seems to be uttered generally when the creature 

 is laboring under great excitement either caused by hunger, or 

 sexual emotions. It is a good sized beast, low in the hind quar- 

 ters which are weak, but with powerful shoulders, neck and 

 head. Altogether it cannot be regarded as possessing any 

 attractive qualities, and can only be tolerated on account of its 

 usefulness as a scavenger. The natives always expressed great 

 delight whenever we killed one of these beasts, as they commit 

 such havoc among their flocks and herds, often even carrying 

 away the young children. From the crafty, cowardly way of 

 the creature the natives are not often able to get near enough to 

 kill them with spears, and so are too happy to witness their des- 

 truction by the more certain and far-reaching rifle. Although 

 this species is found quite near to the coast, even visiting the 

 vicinity of the markets at Berbera at night to steel scraps of meat^ 

 it is not found in any considerable numbers, until the interior is 

 reached. 



Hyaena striata (Zimm). 



Hyaena striata. Striped Hyaena. Native names Dedar, Werra. 



9 ad. Durban. Dedah. 



$ ad. South of Toyo Plain. Dedah. 



$ ad. Hullier. Werra. 



$ ad. Hersi Barri, Ogaden. Werra. 



This striped Hyaena was much less frequently met with than 

 the previous species, although it appears to be about as widely 

 distributed throughout the country. We did not find it on the 

 Haud, although it is very probable that it is there, but the list of 

 places given above where we preserved specimens shows that it 

 was met with from the vicinity of the sea to the farthest point in 

 the interior reached by us. There are two recognizable forms of 

 this species known to the natives, as "Dedar" and "Werra." 

 The latter, they say, is much more destructive than the other, 

 and kills their sheep and goats apparently merely to indulge its 

 propensities for slaughter, destroying many more animals than 



