206 MY SOMALI BOOK 



animal brings a kind of merciful numbness that kills 

 pain perfectly and seems also to take away all feeling 

 and volition." 



Consider the methods of the spotted hysena, which 

 takes huge bites of flesh out of a pony, and tears the 

 udders out of a cow ; of the wild dogs which pull 

 down an animal by repeated snatches at the hinder 

 parts ; of the Himalayan black bear which drags its 

 victim down and proceeds to tear it to pieces and 

 devour it without any attempt to kill it first. In one 

 instance ^ a cow was found " lying on its side, struggling 

 and bellowing, the bear gnawing away at its hind 

 leg." Does the animal feel no pain under such con- 

 ditions, and is its death always speedj^ and painless ? 

 In the case of the cow mentioned, it is further recorded 

 that " she had one leg broken and two huge pieces of 

 flesh taken from her flank, while her stomach and 

 quarters were lacerated and pouring with blood," yet 

 she was alive and bellowing when help came. Does 

 this indicate a " merciful numbness that kills pain " ? 



As to the wild beast of prey never killing except for 

 food, there are authenticated instances of leopards 

 getting into the midst of a flock of sheep or goats and 

 killing a number in sheer wantonness. And I have 

 mentioned the occasional similar habit of the Somali 

 striped hyeena, who is certainly not, as is the leopard, 

 a master of the " happy dispatch." 



When young lions or tigers are being taught how 

 to kill, their victims are apt to be terribly mauled, 

 even before being pulled down, and must suffer in the 

 process. But it is almost certainly true that the 



* Bombay Natural History Society'ti Journal, Vol. XVII., p. 833. 



