CHAP. VI. LEOPARDS. 315 



veller Delagorgue, who in liis Voyage dans I'Afrique australe 

 minutely and diffusely describes it. 



" Gordon Gumming suj^poses it to form the connecting link 

 between the wolf and hyena. This animal swarms throughout 

 the Somali country, prowls about the camps all night, dogs 

 travellers, and devours everything he can find; at times pulling 

 down children and camels, and, when violently pressed by hunger, 

 men. The Somal declare the Waraba to be a hermaphrodite ; so 

 the ancients supposed the hyena to be of both sexes." 



That they do not show the slightest fear of man I have 

 repeatedly proved. I remember once coming upon a pack 

 scattered asleep in the long grass on the side of a hill, 

 and walking right into the middle of it before I knew 

 they were there. One jumped up at my feet, and running 

 a few yards, faced round and began to give tongue, upon 

 which the grass seemed to become alive with them, more 

 jumping up all round me and joining in the chorus, but 

 not one attempting to nm away. I was rather alarmed, 

 as I was alone, and picking out the two most clamorous, I 

 shot first one and then the other, after which the others 

 slowly retired, giving vent to their anger in their sharp 

 metallic bark as they did so. They are curious-looking 

 animals with their erect ears and variegated skias, but 

 would, no doubt, become iavaluable to the hunter if they 

 were broken and trained. That they can be trained is 

 proved by Schweinfiu-th,^ who saw one in captivity ; and 

 Livingstone mentions that the natives of the Kahhari 

 desert break and train them for the chase. 



Perhaps the only animal of this genus that causes no 

 annoyance to the iahabitants of the country is the 

 jackal. Of these I am acquainted with two, the silver 

 and the grey. They are pretty httle creatures, whose 



^ Heart of Africa, Schweinfurth, vol. ii. p. 274. 



