THE SPOTTED HY^NA 



of carrying their dead outside the village, and leaving 

 the bodies on the ground for the hyaenas to eat. 

 This they accomplish most effectually, for not a 

 vestige of the corpse remains in the morning, except 

 perhaps a few splintered bones which bear witness 

 to the gruesome feast. This may seem a shocking 

 way to dispose of the dead, but it is nevertheless 

 a very hygienic and safe one, for the micro-organ- 

 isms which were the cause of death are safely en- 

 tombed within the body of the hyaena, where they 

 are rapidly killed off and digested. 



Although possessed of such fearful teeth and 

 powerful jaw muscles, backed up by great bodily 

 strength, the Spotted Hyaena is generally recog- 

 nised as one of the most cowardly of animals, and 

 unless brought to bay will not show fight, preferring 

 always to slink off rather than face even a dog much 

 inferior in size and strength, and one, moreover, 

 which it could kill at a single bite. 



It invariably attacks large living animals such as 

 donkeys, horses, and cattle from behind, usually 

 between the thighs, or from the side under the 

 abdomen, its object being to tear out the entrails 

 or make an opening sufficiently large for them 

 to escape through, and thus render the victim 

 helpless. 



Drummond tells of seven cows which were mor- 

 tally wounded by one of these hyaenas in a single 

 night. The cowardly creature tore the udders 

 completely off. 



87 



