104 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



the world ; while it not uncommonly occurs that the 

 name given to a certain type might be not inaptly applied 

 to another inhabiting the same locality. Thus a leopard 

 is called a " tiger," a giraffe is known as a " camel," and 

 a hyaena as a " wolf," while the present species, whereto 

 the latter term would, perhaps, be more appropriate, is 

 a "dog." The name "dog," in fact, is not at all de- 

 scriptive of this animal ; for there are few other members 

 of the family differing more widely from the true dog, 

 and he is a remoter relative to the latter than either the 

 wolf or the jackal. The animal is, indeed, the sole living 

 survivor of its type, and differs from all the members of 

 the dog group in having only four toes to each forefoot. 



In appearance the Hunting Dog is large and powerful, 

 standing between two feet and two feet and a half at the 

 shoulder, a male weighing about sixty pounds. His 

 muzzle is relatively short and broad, while the great 

 upstanding round ears are among his most striking 

 characteristics. The body and limbs are marked in 

 patches of black, white, and dull yellow ; the tail is bushy, 

 usually with a white tip, and there is a moderate throat ruff. 

 The animal possesses a curious outer skin, which contains 

 the roots of the hairs, and which is very easily separated 

 from the thicker layer of skin beneath ; consequently 

 unless a specimen is skinned very soon after death, this 

 outer envelope quickly shrivels, and peels off in the sun, 

 thus spoiling the trophy. Although the limbs are long 

 and powerful, and the forehand massive, nevertheless 

 the animal falls away behind ; a circumstance which, 

 taken in conjunction with its habit of carrying the head 

 and tail depressed when moving at its ease, gives it 

 rather a hyaena-like appearance, and is responsible for 

 the term "hyaena dog" formerly applied to it. In no 

 other point either of structure, disposition, or habit, 



