132 After Big Game in Central Africa 



to enable you to approach without being noticed. 

 Three or four dogs are indispensable for attaining 

 this object. On the other hand, pure-bred dogs full 

 of courage are killed immediately by wishing to 

 get too near the beast. 



The jackal also inhabits these regions, but, con- 

 trarily to what one sees in Algeria, does not go about 

 in packs ; one meets with isolated animals or pairs 

 only. It frequents preferably flat parts of hilly 

 countries. It is about the size of the fox, and its 

 colour is a tawny-gray. It utters a particular 

 cry, is very timid, and feeds with hyenas on the 

 remains of animals left by lions and hunters. 



A few words more on the hyena of these regions, 1 

 to complete this chapter devoted to the dog family. 



The only one which exists north of the Zambesi is 

 spotted. In daylight nothing is uglier than this 

 animal, and its strange habits have given rise to 

 certain superstitions among the natives. They say, 

 for example, that after its death its sex changes, a 

 belief which arises simply because of its special con- 

 formation and the difficulty one has in telling its sex. 

 It is also stated that hyenas sometimes speak from 

 the bottom of the holes, from which you try to dislodge 

 them, like persons complaining of being ill-treated. 

 This story has been told to me several times. I have 

 sometimes dislodged one of these animals from its 

 hole by means of sulphur rockets ; but, apart from 

 uttering a few feeble mews, the hyena has never 

 addressed anything to me. The other variety, the 



1 See Mes Grandes Chasses, pp. 128, 129. 



