THE BROWN HYAENA. 22) 
behind some bush or other concealment not far from a village or a temporary encamp- 
ment. Her mate then plays his part by running boldly forwards, and making himself 
as conspicuous as possible, so as to draw the attention of some of the multitudinous dogs 
which prowl about human habitations. Out rush the dogs at the sight of the intruder, 
and the Hyzena runs off as fast as he can, taking care to pass near the spot where his mate 
is lying concealed. The result may be imagined. 
It is not often the case that the Hyzena will commit itself to so bold an action, for it 
is never known to be venturesome unless compelled by dire hunger. 
The Streep HyNa is easily to be distinguished from its relations by the peculiar 
streaks from which it derives its name. The general colour of the fur is a greyish-brown, 
diversified with blackish stripes, which run along the ribs, and upon the limbs. A large 
singular black patch extends over the front of the throat, and single black hairs are pro- 
fusely scattered among the fur. When young, the stripes are more apparent than in adult 
age, and the little animal has something of a tigrine aspect about its face. The reason 
for this circumstance is twofold ; firstly, because the groundwork of the fur is ighter than 
in the adult Hyzna ; and secondly, because the stripes are proportionately much broader 
than in the full-erown animal, and therefore occupy more space. 
Although the Hyzena is so cowardly an animal, yet, like all cowards, it becomes 
very bold when it finds that it can make its attack with impunity. Emboldened by 
numbers, and incited by fierce hunger, the Hyenas become the very pests of the native 
African towns ; roaming with impunity through the streets in search of the garbage that 
is plentifully flung from the houses, and conducting themselves with the greatest 
impudence. At nightfall the inhabitants are fain to close their doors firmly, for 
these dangerous brutes have been known to seize a sleeping man, and to kill him with 
the terrible grip of their powerful jaws. : 
In proportion to its size, the Hyena possesses teeth and jaws of extraordinary strength, 
and between their tremendous fangs the thigh-bones of an ox fly in splinters with a 
savage crash that makes the spectator shudder. The skull of this animal is formed in a 
manner that at once points it out as belonging to a creature of enormous power. The 
“zysomatic” arches of bone that extend from the eyes to the ears are of exceeding 
strength and thickness ; and along the top of the head there runs a deep bony crest 
that projects beyond the brain-cayity, and serves for the attachment of the powerful 
muscles to which the animal owes its singular strength. So forcibly are these muscles 
exerted that the vertebree of the neck are sometimes found to have united together— 
“anchylosed” according to the professional term, on account of the violent tension to 
which they were continually subjected. 
The muzzle is but short, and the roueh thorn-studded tongue is used, like that of the 
feline groups, for rasping every vestige of flesh from the bones of the prey. 
The Brown Hy&NA is so named on account of the colour of its fur, which is of 
a blackish-brown tint, diversified with a lighter hue upon the neck and throat, and a few 
indistinctly marked bands of a blackish-brown across the legs. The hair of this species 
is extremely long, and has a decided “set” backwards. 
Sometimes the brown hue of the fur is washed with a warmer tint of chestnut, from 
which circumstance the animal has been termed “ Crocuta rufa,” the latter word signifying 
a ruddy hue, and being applied especially to hair. 
THE last of the three acknowledged species of Hyena is a larger and heavier built 
animal than either of the preceding species, from which it is easily distinguishable by 
the numerous and well-defined spots that are scattered over its body and limbs. The 
SporreD Hyna, or Tiger Wolf, as it is generally called, is, for a Hyena, a fierce and 
dangerous animal, invading the sheep-folds and cattle-pens under the cover of darkness, 
and doing in one night more mischief than can be remedied in the course of years. 
The spots, or rather the blotches, with which its fur is marked, are rather scanty upon 
the back and sides, but upon the legs are much more clearly marked, and are set closer 
