CARNIVORA. 6 1 3 



an ill-conditioned ferocious beast, but will not attack man 

 unless provoked. The Spotted Hyaena (H. crocuta) occurs 

 solely in Africa, being especially abundant in Cape Colony. 

 If the so-called Aardvvolf (Proteles) is to be placed amongst the 

 Hyaenas, as is generally done, then the characters to be drawn 

 from the feet are not invariable; since this singular animal has 

 the fore-feet furnished with five toes, whilst the hind-feet are 

 tetradactylous (as is the case in the Dogs). It is a nocturnal 

 burrowing animal, and is found in South Africa. The singular 

 " Hunting Dog" (Lycaon pictus], again, of South Africa, agrees 

 with the Hysenas in being tetradactylous, but has no mane, 

 and approaches the Dogs in its dentition and osteology. 



An extinct Hyaena, considerably larger than either of the 

 living forms, formerly existed in Britain and in various parts 

 of Europe. It is known as the Cave Hyaena (H. spelcea], its 

 remains having been principally found in caves. 



The next family is that of the Canidcz, comprising the Dogs, 

 Wolves, Foxes, and Jackals. The members of this family 

 are characterised by having pointed muzzles, smooth tongues, 

 and non-retractile claws. The fore-feet have five toes each, 



the hind-feet have only four. The molar teeth are - 



77': 



sometimes ~* and of these, two or three on each side are 



tuberculate. The carnassial has a tolerably large heel or 

 process. ; 



The true Dogs (/.<?., the Dog and Wolf) have round or 

 oblique pupils, and a tail which is of moderate length and 

 rarely very hairy. The Foxes ( Vulpes] have very long bushy 

 tails, and the pupil contracts to a mere line. 



The Dog (Cants familiar is] is only known to us at the present 

 day as a domesticated animal. Such wild dogs as there are, 

 are probably merely derived from the domestic dog ; and the 

 original stock, or stocks, from which our numerous varieties of 

 dogs have sprung, is still uncertain. It is worth while remem- 

 bering, however, all our varieties of dogs are capable of inter- 

 breeding ; and there is a strong probability that the Wolf is 

 the parent stock of at least some of our domestic breeds. The 

 Dog, in fact, will interbreed with both the Wolf and the Jackal. 



The genus Cams, besides the Dog, contains the well-known 

 Jackal (Cam's aureus] and the Wolf (Canis lupus], and many 

 writers place the Foxes in the same genus. The Foxes, how- 

 ever, are better considered as forming a separate genus ( Vulpes], 

 of which there are many species, all more or less like the 

 common Fox ( Vulpes vulgaris). One of the most remarkable 



