THE HYJENA. 83 



at night. Thus the animals are nearest to the door, notwith- 

 standing which the hyaena will " pass by the calves and take 

 the children from under the mother's kaross ; and this in such 

 a gentle and cautious manner, that the poor parent is uncon- 

 scious of her loss, until the cries of her little innocent have 

 reached her from without, when it has been a close prisoner 

 in the jaws of the monster." Many years ago, when animals 

 were kept at the Tower of London, the den of a spotted 

 hyaena required some repair. "The carpenter," says Mrs. 

 Bowdich, "nailed a thick oaken plank upon the floor, about 

 seven feet long, putting at least a dozen nails into it, each 

 longer than his middle finger. At one end of this piece of 

 wood there was a small projection, and not having a proper 

 chisel with him by which he might remove it, the man 

 returned to his shop to fetch one. While he was absent some 

 persons came to see the animals, and the hyaena was let 

 down by the keeper into the part of the den in which the 

 carpenter had been at work. Directly the beast saw the 

 projecting piece of wood he seized it with his teeth, tore the 

 plank up, and drew out every nail with the utmost ease; 

 which action will give a good idea of the muscular strength 

 of this creature." 



A Narrow Sparrman tells an amusing story of the daring 

 scape. an( j ^ fj.ig nt O f a hyaena, as follows: "One 

 night, at a feast near the Cape, a trumpeter who had made 

 himself drunk with liquor was carried out of doors and laid 

 on the grass, in order that the air might both cool and 

 sober him. The scent of the man soon attracted a spotted 

 hyaena, which threw him on his back, and carried him away 

 towards Table Mountain. The hyaena doubtless supposed 

 that the senseless drunkard was a corpse, and consequently 

 a fair prize. In the meantime the musician awoke, and 

 was at once sufficiently sensible to know the danger of his 

 situation, and to sound the alarm with his trumpet, which 

 he fortunately carried at his side. The hyaena, as it may be 



