8o 



Phata fy A. S. Rutland &> Soni 



MEERKAT 



A small, mainly insectivorous animal, found in South Africa ; also 

 called the Suricate 



The question of the comparative intelli- 

 gence of the Apes and Monkeys, and the 

 carnivorous animals subsequently described in 

 these pages, is an interesting one. It would 

 seem at first as if the Cat Tribe and their rela- 

 tions, which have to obtain their prey by con- 

 stant hunting, and often to make use of consid- 

 erable reflection and thought to bring their 

 enterprises against other animals to a successful 

 issue, would be more likely to develop intelli- 

 gence and to improve in brain-power than the 

 great Apes, which find an easy living in the 

 tropical forests, and only seek fruits and vegeta- 

 bles for their food. Yet it is quite certain that 

 this is not the case. The Cat Tribe, with the 

 exception of the domesticated cats, does not 

 show high intelligence. Even the latter are 

 seldom trained to obey man, though they learn 

 to accommodate themselves to his ways of life. 

 There is no evidence that cats have any sense of 

 number, or that any of them in a wild state make 

 any effort to provide shelter for themselves or 

 construct a refuge from their enemies, though 

 the Leopard will make use of a cave as a lair. 

 In matters requiring intelligence and coopera- 

 tion, such rodents as the Beaver, or even the 

 Squirrel, are far beyond the feline carnivora in 

 sagacity and acquired or inherited ingenuity. 

 Except the Stoat, which sometimes hunts in 

 packs, no species of the carnivora yet dealt with 

 in this work combines to hunt its prey, or for 

 defense against enemies. Each for itself is the 

 rule, and even among the less-specialised flesh- 

 eating animals of the other groups it is only 

 the Dog Tribe which seems to understand the 

 principles of association for a common object. 



CHAPTER IV 



THE HYAENAS AND AARD-WOLF 



IF every animal has its place in nature, we must suppose that the hyaena's business is to clear 

 up the bones and such parts of the animal dead as the vultures and other natural " under- 

 takers " cannot devour. Hyaenas have very strong jaws, capable of crushing almost any 

 bone. In prehistoric times they were common in England, and lived in the caves of Derbyshire 

 and Devon. In these caves many bones were found quite smashed up, as if by some very large 

 wild animal. It was supposed that this was done by bears Dean Buckland said " by hyaenas." 

 He procured a hyaena, kept it at his house, and fed it on bones. The smashed fragments he laid 

 on the table at a scientific lecture beside the fragments from the caverns. The resemblance wa c 

 identical, and the Dean triumphed. 



