THE STRIPED AND BROWN HYENAS. 243 



the throat, and black hairs are sprinkled abundantly over the whole fur; 

 the mane on the crest and shoidders has hairs with black tips. The 

 length of this species is about three feet and a quarter, in the body. 



The Striped Hyjena extends from Sierra Leone in Africa as far east 

 as the Altai Mountains in Asia. It is the least injurious of its kind, and 

 the abundance of carrion and bones it finds everywhere, saves it from 

 being driven to attack living things. Its cowardice is incredible, although 

 they will prowl close to a village or camp. It can be easily tamed. 

 Brehm had a pair which behaved just like dogs — leaping up and gambol- 

 ing around him. During the sail down the Nile they were fed every 

 third day, but on one occasion had to fast eight days. Some of the wild 

 Eastern dogs were shot for them. When the carcasses were brought, 

 the hyajnas laughed aloud and rushed like mad creatures on the food. 

 A few bites tore awa)' the covering on the breast, and then they plunged 

 their black muzzles into the entrails till their heads were all besmeared 

 and clotted with gore. 



The hyjena always eats rapidly and in large mouthfuls, and has been 

 seen to swallow a bone nine inches long ; a wise instinct ; food thus swal- 

 lowed takes a longer time to digest, and hence hunger recurs less soon. 

 It lives in holes or in clefts of the rock ; its smell is so offensive that no 

 other animal will come near its carcass, and dogs, when they come across 

 the trail of a living one, exhibit every mark of fear and keep as close as 

 they conveniently can to their master's heels. 



THE BROV/N HYyENA. 



The Brown Hy^na, Hycena brunnca (Plate XIII), is distinguished 

 from the other species by a long, rough mane hanging down on both sides. 

 The color is uniformly dark-brown, with a few white lights on the legs; 

 the hair of the mane has a whitish-gray ground, the rest being blackish- 

 brown. It is about the size of the Striped Hyaena. 



The Brown Hyjena inhabits the South of Africa, usually in the vicinity 

 of the sea. It is less common than the striped species, but resembles the 

 latter in its habits ; it feeds chiefly on carrion cast up by the waves, and 

 hence is sometimes called the Strand Wolf It does not possess the hor- 

 rible laughter-like cry of its congeners. 



Some specimens have been seen in which the brown fur has a warm 

 chestnut tinge. 



