THE DOG FAMILY -HYJENA DOG. 



199 



The Hycena The Hyaena Dog or Cape Hunting 

 Dog or Cape T>og (Cam's or Lycaon pic t us ) is about 

 Hunting Dog. t he size of a lean Wolf or medium- 

 sized domestic Dog, while his aspect more closely 

 resembles the latter. In spite of the slender shape, it 

 produces the impression of a vigorous, strong ani- 

 mal. No two Dogs are marked exactly alike, only 

 the head and nape of the neck exhibit a certain uni- 

 formity in tint. The prevailing colors are white, 

 black and ochre-yellow. Some have their ground 

 color white, some black, and the lighter or darker 

 spots contrast with these hues in bold relief. The 

 spots are also of irregular shape ; they may be small 

 or large, and sometimes are distributed all over the 

 body ; but the white and yellow ones always have 

 black margins. The snout is black up to the eyes 

 and this color is continued in long stripes between 

 the eyes and ears, along the top of the head and 

 nape of the neck. The ears are black, the eyes 

 brown. The root of the tail is ochre-yellow, the 

 middle black, and the bushy tip white or ochre- 

 yellow. 



The Hyaena Dog is a native of Africa, but his 

 boundaries have not yet been exactly determined. 

 He ranges in south Africa; Boehm saw him in east 

 Africa to the east and 

 also to the southwest of 

 the Tanganyika Lake ; 

 Ruppell found him in 

 Nubia, Schweinfurth 

 says that he is abundant 

 in the Bongo country 

 and Nachtigal says the 

 same about Kanem on 

 the Tsad Lake. 



Cummings' Gordon 

 Account of Cummings 

 Hycena Dogs. met Hyae- 

 na Dogs in southern 

 Africa. "These Dogs," 

 says he, " hunt in packs, 

 varying in number up to 

 sixty, and by their ex- 

 traordinary power of en- 

 durance are enabled to 

 overcome the largest 

 and most powerful An- 

 telope. They do not at- 

 tack Buffaloes, as far as 

 my knowledge goes. 

 They pursue their quar- 

 ry until it is worn out; 

 then it is dragged to the 

 ground and in a few 

 minutes torn to pieces 

 and consumed." In 

 spite of the really beau- 

 tiful coloring and high 

 stature of the Hysena 



Dog, Heuglin calls it "an unclean, evil-smelling 



animal, addicted to biting and incapable of hiding 



jts false and treacherous disposition," and he says 



that, when wounded, it does not fear to attack Man. 



Hunting Abilities However this may be, the multi- 



of the colored Beast of Prey remains a 



Hycena Dog. highly attractive creature. It must 



be a magnificent spectacle to see these beautiful, 



agile and loud-voiced animals hunting. A large, 



strong Antelope has been frightened by them ; it 



knows its pursuers and hurries through the grassy 



plain with all the speed its fleet legs can command. 



Behind it is the pack, yelping, howling, whining and 

 uttering indescribable sounds, which might be termed 

 joyous, for they resemble the bright tones of a bell. 

 As the chase progresses, the Antelope forgets all 

 danger except that which is most imminent, and 

 hurries along, heedless of human beings, whom it 

 usually shuns, followed by the close-banded pack of 

 Dogs. The pace of the latter is a long, never-tiring 

 gallop and their discipline is excellent. When the 

 leading Hounds are fatigued they fall to the rear, 

 and others, which have been reserving their strength, 

 come up, and so they relieve each other as long as 

 the chase endures. Finally the hunted animal is 

 tired out and brought to bay. Conscious of its 

 strength the Antelope turns around and faces its 

 deadly foes. The slender, pointed horns sweep the 

 sward in wide' curves. But, although one or two of 

 the pursuers succumb in the struggle, it is usually 

 but a minute before the unequally matched Ante- 

 lope lies on the ground in panting agony. Some- 

 times, but rarely, it succeeds in freeing itself when 

 first brought to bay. Then the hunt begins afresh 

 and the voracious Dogs again rush after the Ante- 

 lope, their snouts covered with blood. Their thirst 

 for carnage is said to increase with the death of each 



■*3M&> 



THE CRAB-EATING DOG. This is a South American species of wild Doff, which is placed by some natu- 

 ralists along with other South American animals in a group under the name of Fox-Wolves. The muzzle is distinctly 

 Fox-like but the remainder of the body, with the exception of the bushy tail, is more like that of the Wolf. Little is 

 known about its habits except the Crab-eating propensity, from which it derives its name, and the fact that it hunts in 

 small packs. (Canis cancrivorous.) 



victim, and it is also said that they eat only the 

 intestines of the killed game, leaving the rest for 

 other animals of prey. They seem to eat very little 

 of the muscular meat, for Burchell found a freshly 

 killed Antelope, of which these Dogs had eaten only 

 the inner parts, so he made use of the rest in his 

 own kitchen. 



Usefulness of The Hyaena Dog is a wild animal which 

 Tamed seems to promise a great deal if it only 



Hycena Dogs. were tamed. It would make an excel- 

 lent tracker, but an animal of such characteristics is 

 not easily brought under subjection to the will of 



