102 



MAMMALIA. 



grey colour, which is darker along the central line of 

 the back and neck, where the hairs are prolonged to 

 form an erectile mane, the sides of the body being also 

 marked by several dark-brown bands. All the hyaenas 

 display remarkable strength and voracity, their jaws 

 being eminently fitted for tearing and crushing the 

 hardest substances. At night they prowl about in 

 large numbers, devouring alike living and dead animals, 

 whether the latter be fresh or semiputrid. Graves are 

 torn open without ceremony a circumstance which 

 has given rise to various superstitions and silly tales, 

 which ancient writers ignorantly delighted to record. 

 The Striped hysena is not very particular as to the char- 

 acter or size of his victim. Colonel Denham, when at 

 Kouka, informs us that a legion of this species literally 

 stormed a large village in that neighbourhood one 

 night, and, notwithstanding that the place was sur- 

 rounded by a barricade, consisting of branches of the 

 prickly tulip nearly six feet in height, they succeeded 

 in throwing it down and taking away two donkeys. 

 He adds " We constantly heard them close to the 

 walls of our own town at nights, and on a gate being 

 left partly open, they would enter and carry off any 

 unfortunate animal that they could find in the streets." 

 It has often been stated that hya?nas cannot be tamed 

 a notion which is entirely erroneous. Among the 

 very many proofs which have been adduced to show 

 that the species under consideration is quite capable 

 of domestication, we may refer to Mr. Bennett's account 

 of a Striped hyaena kept in the tower of London, 

 which manifested remarkable docility and attachment 

 to its keeper. It may also be mentioned, on the 

 authority of Colonel Sykes, that in central India, 

 where the species is numerous, they are found to be 

 as susceptible of domestication as ordinary dogs. 



THE SPOTTED HYJENA (Hyaena crocuta). This 

 is called the " Tiger-wolf" by the colonists at the Cape 

 of Good Hope, and it is often spoken of simply as the 

 Wolf, in contradistinction to the next species, which is 

 termed the Strand-wolf. Though most abundant in 

 Southern Africa, the Spotted hyaena is found as far 

 north and west as the coast of Guinea and Senegal, 

 and even Barbary, if the statements of Lesson are 

 correct. It is rather smaller than the last-described 

 species, and is further distinguished by the absence of 

 any well-marked mane, as well as by the circumstance 

 that the fur is covered with roundish black spots, instead 

 of stripes, which, nevertheless, exhibit a tendency to 

 arrange themselves in linear series. The general colour 

 of the fur is yellowish-brown, the hairs being compara- 

 tively short. The tail is bushy, and of a brownish- 

 black tinge. The habits of the Spotted hyaena appear 

 to be even more destructive than those of the striped 

 species. Numerous accounts have been placed on 

 record respecting its extraordinary rapacity, but of 

 these we shall refer only to the more interesting. The 

 traveller Steedman gives the following account of its 

 depredations, as communicated to him by a trustworthy 

 correspondent, who writes from Mamboland as follows : 

 " To sh^fc clearly the preference of the wolf (i.e., 

 Spotted hyaena) for human flesh, it will be necessary to 

 notice, that when the Mambookies build their houses, 

 which are in form like beehives, and tolerably large 



often eighteen or twenty feet in diameter the floor is 

 raised at the higher or back part of the house, until 

 within three or four feet of the front, where it suddenly 

 terminates, leaving an area from thence to the wall, in 

 which every midnight the calves are tied, to protect 

 them from the storms or from wild beasts. Now it 

 would be natural to suppose, that should the wolf 

 (hyaena) enter, he would seize the first object for his 

 prey, especially as the natives always lie with the fire 

 at their feet; but notwithstanding this, the constant 

 practice of this animal has been in every instance to 

 pass by the calves in the area, and even by the fire, 

 and to take the children from under the mother's kaross; 

 and this in such a gentle and cautious manner, that the 

 poor parent has been unconscious of her loss, until the 

 cries of her little innocent have reached her from with- 

 out, when a close prisoner in the jaws of the monster." 

 The same writer avers, that there had come to his 

 knowledge no less than forty instances where these 

 beasts had thus committed serious havoc within the 

 space of only a few months. The Spotted hyaena is a 

 great coward, for he will usually only attack his intended 

 victim after he has succeeded in intimidating him, and 

 in making him run for his life. To bring about this 

 result, he utters hideous howls, and puts on every kind 

 of snarl and grimace which his villanous physiognomy 

 can conjure up. This propensity to howl, however, 

 seems to be rather disadvantageous than otherwise, 

 seeing that it serves as a warning to the occupants of 

 farm-yards and villages. Its design is probably to 

 inspire terror, and not to call together other hyaenas of 

 the same species, as some have supposed. Various 

 methods are adopted to destroy this pest, the best of 

 which seems to be that of a spring-gun trap, set in the 

 following manner: " Two young trees are selected, 

 and divested of their lower branches, or, in lieu of such, 

 a couple of stout posts, firmly, driven into the ground, 

 will answer the purpose equally well. To these trees 

 or posts, as the case may be, the gun is firmly lashed 

 in a horizontal position, and with the muzzle pointing 

 slightly upwards. A piece of wood about six inches in 

 length the lever, in short is tied to the side of the 

 gun-stock, in such a manner as to move slightly for- 

 wards and backwards. A stout piece of string connects 

 the trigger with the lower part of the lever. To the 

 upper extremity of the latter is attached a long piece 

 of cord, to the outer end of which, after it has been 

 passed through one of the empty ramrod tubes, is tied 

 a lump of flesh, which is pushed over the muzzle of the 

 gun." By this contrivance Mr. Anderson and his friends 

 succeeded in destroying several hyaenas. The same 

 sportsman and author records in his "Lake Ngami" the 

 following curious incident. While stationed at Great 

 Namaqua-land, he says " Almost the first animal I 

 saw at this place was a gigantic ' tiger-wolf,' or Spotted 

 hyaena, which, to my surprise, instead of seeking safety 

 in flight, remained stationary, grinning in the most 

 ghastly manner. Having approached within twenty 

 paces I perceived to my horror, that his fore-paws, and 

 the skin and flesh of his front legs, had been gnawed 

 away, and that he could scarcely move from the spot. 

 To shorten the sufferings of the poor beast, I seized my 

 opportunity, and knocked him on the head with a stone ; 



