AKT. 17 EAST AFRICAN VERTEBRATES LOVERIDGE 19 



Four banded mungoose were brought in at Dodoma and a fifth 

 from Shinyanga. One of these escaped permanently. All of them 

 got loose a great many times, mainly owing to the carelessness of 

 native attendants in leaving the door catch unfastened. The mun- 

 goose apparently tested the door every time it was opened, for they 

 never seemed to lose an opportunity of which they could take advan- 

 tage. They lifted the door by pressing their noses against it. I am 

 not sure that one alone could escape, for generally a second animal 

 was required to slip its claws underneath and raise it further. One 

 large mungoose bit through the wire netting several times, but dou- 

 bling the net dissuaded them from further experiments in that direction. 

 With the solitary exception already mentioned, they never went far, 

 almost invariably retiring behind their own stack of cages and remain- 

 ing there until disturbed. Then generally ensued a wild chase around 

 the room. Their dietary was minced meat, eggs, milk, and w^ater; 

 the latter they habitually upset by pawdng at the pan, so that it 

 became necessary to hold it while they drank. 



Fleas {Ctenocephalus felis) were removed from one. 



Measurements of male, 385. 240. 80. 20 mm. 



CROCUTA CROCUTA GERMINANS (Matschie) 

 EASTERN SPOTTED HYENA 



Native names. — Mbisi or Mvisi (Chigogo); Fisi (Kiswahili). 



Four hyenas were trapped at Dodoma and one at Kondoa Irangi. 

 The bait was tied to a peg which released another peg that took the 

 weight of the door so that the latter dropped instantaneously when 

 the bait was grabbed. Our first hyena howled at nights and this 

 drew many callers about the house. On moonlight nights they 

 might be seen standing or sitting and calling to one another in sym- 

 pathy. An old one accompanied by a puppy were very regular in 

 their appearance and would sit 50 feet from the cage in which their 

 confederate was confined. The captive whimpered and yelped like 

 a dog and sci ambled at the bars in his excitement. These demon- 

 strations ceased after two more hyenas were introduced into the cage, 

 when by day all would lie in a lazy pile at the back of the den for 

 all the world like so many dogs. When first confined the larger 

 ones resented the raking out of their bedding by seizing the rake in 

 their powerful jaws or making rushes at the bars to the accompani- 

 ment of deep-throated growls or rumblings. Seemingly realizing 

 the futility of this conduct they would retire to the back of their 

 cage and turn their heads down and under in a characteristically 

 hyenalike position of abject fear. Three lived in greater harmony 

 than two, for when there were two the big Kondoa beast bit or bullied 

 the young Dodoma animal toward dawn — that is, after 4 o'clock 

 and before 6.30 o'clock — then the young ones would yelp and I 



