82 



THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



[North F inanity 



of its jaws ; but they will 

 leave bones unbroken which 

 a hyaena will crack in halves. 

 Its powers of digestion are 

 unlimited. It will swallow 

 and digest a knuckle-bone 

 without giving it a crunch, 

 and will crack the thigh-bone 

 of a buffalo to obtain the 

 marrow, and swallow either 

 end immediately after. . . . 

 I remember that once a 

 hyaena came into our tent at 

 night. But this was merely a 

 friendly reconnaissance, to see 

 if any delicacy, such as our 

 shoes, or a saddle, or anything 

 that smelt of leather, were 

 lying about. It was bright 

 moonlight, and the air was 



Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S.] 



STRIPED HY^NA 



This is the hytena of Northern Africa, Palatine, and India 



calm. There was nothing to disturb the stillness. I was awakened from sleep by a light touch 

 on my sleeve, and my attention was directed by my wife to some object that had just quitted 

 our tent. I took my rifle from beneath the mat on which 1 lay, and, after waiting for a few 

 minutes sitting up in bed, saw a large form standing in the doorway preparatory to entering. 

 Presently it walked in cautiously, and immediately fell dead, with a bullet between its eyes. 

 It proved to be a very large hyaena, an old and experienced depredator, as it bore countless 

 scars of encounters with other strong biters -of its race." 



The STRIPED HY^NA is found in India as well as in Africa. In portions of Abyssinia these 

 animals are so numerous that on the Nile tributaries Sir Samuel Baker used to hear them crack- 

 ing the bones after supper every 

 night just as they had been thrown 

 by the Arabs within a few feet of the 

 deserted table. In this way they are 

 useful scavengers. 



THE AARD-WOLF 



This small African hyaena-like 

 creature stands in a family by itself. 

 The animal is like a small striped 

 hyaena, with a pointed muzzle, longer 

 ears, and a kind of mane. It is com- 

 mon all through South and East 

 Africa, where it lives on carrion, white 

 ants, and lambs and kids. It has not 



the strong jaws and teeth of the dog or ph ' b > A - s - Rudland ** s nl 



r ., ~, AARD-WOLF 



hyaena family. The colonists com- . 



' J . The aard-wolf stands in a family by itself. It is allied to the hyanas, but is ajar 



monly hunt and kill it with fox-terriers. feebler animal 



