264 CARNIVORA. 



The Large-eared Fox, Megalotis Lalandii, has a slender figure, long 

 legs and tail, large oval ears, and forty-eight teeth ; it attains the length 

 of three feet, of which one-third is tail, and externally bears a strong 

 resemblance to the Fennec. The predominant color is a dull-gray, 

 except on the tail, where it has long black hair. It is' a native of South 

 and Eastern Africa, hunts in packs, and succeeds in pulling down ante- 

 lopes or even wild cattle. 



III.— GENUS LYCAON. 



We now come to a link between the Canidce and the Hycenidce — the 

 remarkable animal which has been, indeed, placed by some naturalists 

 among the hygenas, as, like the latter, it possesses only four toes on its 

 feet. The genus contains only one species. 



The Hy/ENA or Hunting Dog, Lycaon pictus, derives its former title 

 from its hyaenine aspect, the latter from the fair and sportsmanlike man- 

 ner in which it hunts its game. The general color is a reddish or 

 yellowish-brown, marked at wide intervals with large patches of black 

 and white. The nose and muzzle are black, and the central line of the 

 head is marked with a well-defined black stripe, which reaches to the 

 back of the head. The ears are extremely large, and are covered on both 

 their surfaces with rather short black hairs. From their inside edge rises 

 a large tuft of long white hair, which spreads over and nearly fills the 

 cavity of the ear. The tail is covered with long bushy hair. 



Although very fond of putrid flesh, these dogs do not make it their 

 exclusive aliment ; for they also feed on living prey, such as gazelles and 

 antelopes. To pursue and capture these they collect in troops, which 

 are sometimes very numerous, and under the direction of a chief, when 

 they hunt with a unanimity and cleverness unsurpassed by the best pack 

 of hounds. When the game is taken they divide it equally ; but if any 

 of the larger Carnivora approach to take a share in the feast, all unite 

 against the intruder. This often happens with respect to the leopard, 

 and even the lion. 



