490 THE CARNIVORES 



The striped hyaena is found throughout India, being especially common in the 

 Northwest and Central Provinces ; but it is unknown in Ceylon. From India its 

 range extends westward through Baluchistan into Persia and Mesopotamia, as 

 far as the Caucasus. It is also common in Palestine, Syria, and Arabia ; and the 

 present writer on one occasion saw from the deck of a P. and O. steamer one of 

 these animals walking on the Syrian side of the Suez canal. From Syria it extends 

 into Northern Africa, where it is occasionally met with in Abyssinia, but is more 

 common in Egypt, and also to the westward in the regions lying to the north of "the 

 Sahara desert. Quite recently Dr. Emin Pasha, writing from Tabora, in East 

 Africa, stated that a striped hyaena, similar to, and perhaps identical with, the Egyp- 

 tian form, but smaller and lighter in color, occurred in that part of Africa. During 

 and before the age of the mammoth, the striped hyaena wandered over a consider- 

 able part of Europe, its remains having been discovered in a cave in the south of 

 France ; while teeth have also been obtained in England. It was, however, far less 

 common in Europe than the spotted species. 



Both in India and Syria the striped hyaena frequents open hilly or sandy 

 districts ; although in the former country it is occasionally met with in forests, and, 

 according to Canon Tristram, in the latter it may be found both in the deserts and 

 in the woods. Like the other species it is nocturnal, although a stray individual 

 (as the one above referred to) may be occasionally seen in the daytime, more 

 especially in the early morning or late in the evening ; but the striped hyaena differs 

 from the spotted species in being a comparatively solitary animal, it being rare to 

 meet with more than two together. 



In Syria and Palestine the favorite haunts of the striped hysena are the rock- 

 cut tombs so common in these countries ; but in India it is more commonly found in 

 holes and caves in rocks. Dr. Jerdon, writing of this species, says, that " I have 

 more than once turned one out of a sugar cane field when looking for jackals, and 

 it very commonly lurks among ruins ; but in general its den is in a hole dug by 

 itself on the side of a hill or ravine, or a cave in a rock. The call of the hyaena is 

 a very disagreeable unearthly cry, and dogs are often tempted out by it when near, 

 and fall a victim to the stealthy marauder. On one occasion a small dog belonging 

 to an officer was taken by a hyaena very early in the morning. The den of this 

 beast was known to be not far off in some sandstone cliffs, and some sepoys of the 

 detachment went after it, entered the cave, killed the hyaena, and recovered the dog 

 alive, with but little damage done to it. A hyaena, though it does not appear to 

 move very fast, gets over rough ground in a wonderful manner, and it takes a good 

 long run to overtake it on horseback, unless in most favorable ground. A stray 

 hysena is now and then met with by a party of sportsmen, followed and speared ; 

 but sometimes not till after a run of three or four miles, if the ground is broken by 

 ravines. It is a cowardly animal, and shows but little fight when brought to bay. 

 The young are very tamable, and show great signs of attachment to their owner, in 

 spite of all that has been written about the untamable ferocity of the hyaena. ' ' Ac- 

 cording to Mr. Blanford, the striped hyaena is a more silent animal than its spotted 

 cousin ; and the cries of the two species, though in some respects similar, are very 

 different. 



