402 



SYSTEMATIC ZOOLOGY 



bred with the fox, the wolf, the jackal, and other species. It has 

 always been domesticated as far back as we have the history 

 of man. In Asia there are several species of wild dogs which 

 closely resemble jackals. There are two species of hairless 

 dogs known, both from South America (Fig. 388). 



The catlike Carnivora include the hyenas, the civet cats, and 

 the true cats, all almost strictly carnivorous in habit. The 

 hyenas are cowardly animals, hunting at night, but with very 

 powerful jaws, which can crush the hardest bones. There are 

 only three living species, two of which are large, varying from 

 a meter to a meter and a quarter in length. The striped hyena, 



FlG. 388. A hairless dog. 1 From a photograph provided by the American Museum of 



Natural History.) 



one of the largest, is found over all Africa, while the small 

 brown hyena is a native of Cape Colony. The family of the 

 civet cats is confined to the eastern hemisphere, the majority 

 living in Asia and Africa. Their claws are partially retractile ; 

 the family contains many genera and species. The anal glands 

 of the true civet cats give rise to a secretion which can be re- 

 moved from the living animal, and is much used as a perfume 

 in many Asiatic countries ; the lesser civet cat is called the 

 rasse, and its scent is in great favor with the Javanese, who 

 completely impregnate their clothing and their houses with it; 

 to the European and American the odor is not entirely agree- 



