HYENAS. 485 



end, although in two of the living species it has also an additional cusp on the inner 

 side of the cutting blade. This curious resemblance of the flesh-teeth of the hyaenas 

 to those of the cats, it may be remarked in passing, is an instance of what 

 evolutionists now call parattclisni in development; that is to say, the resemblance 

 has been acquired independently in the two families, since it is certain that cats are 

 not descended from hyaenas, while it is even more obvious that hyaenas are not the 

 descendants of cats. 



This resemblance of the teeth of the hyenas to those of the cats is, however, 

 confined to the flesh-teeth. Thus, in place of having but two premolar teeth in 

 each jaw in front of the flesh-tooth, the hyenas have three of these teeth in both 

 the upper and the lower jaw between the flesh-tooth and the canine tooth. More- 

 over, these premolar teeth, in place of being much compressed from side to side like 

 those of the cats, have nearly conical and very tall crowns, as is well shown in the 

 figure on p. 482. These strong conical premolar teeth, which are strengthened by 

 small fore-and-aft tubercles at the base, form crushing instruments of immense 

 power ; and it is due to these teeth, aided by the flesh-teeth and the tusks, that a 

 hyaena is able to crunch in its jaws the shin-bone of an ox almost as readily as a dog 

 can break that of a fowl. Indeed, no carnivorous animal has jaws and teeth which 

 can be compared for strength and bone-crushing power with those of hyaenas. 



THE STRIPED HY^NA (Hycena striata). 



The striped hyaena, which is the only representative of the genus found in 

 India, is one of the two smaller and less powerful species, the length of the head 

 and body measuring 3J feet, and that of the tail 1 foot 6 inches. The species is 

 characterised by its large and pointed ears, by the presence of a crest or mane of 

 long hairs running along the middle of the neck and back, and by the long hair 

 clothing the tail ; as well as by the relatively small size of the hind, as compared 

 with the fore-feet. In colour the striped hyaena is dirty grey, with narrow trans- 

 verse tawny or blackish stripes on the body and legs. 



If the skull be examined, it will be found that the lower flesh-tooth differs 

 from that of the jaw represented in the figure on p. 482, by the greater size of the 

 heel at its hinder base, while on the inner side of the blade of the same tooth there 

 is a small conical cusp which does not occur in the figured jaw. Moreover, in the 

 upper jaw, the molar tooth occurring behind, or rather to the inner side of, the 

 flesh-tooth, has a somewhat large crown, elongated in the transverse direction. 

 In these respects the striped hyaena is less widely removed from the civets than is 

 its cousin the spotted hyaena, and it is also somewhat less powerful in its jaws 

 and teeth. 



The striped hyaena is found throughout India, being especially common in the 

 North-West and the Central Provinces ; but it is unknown in Ceylon. From India 

 its range extends westwards through Baluchistan into Persia and Mesopotamia, as 

 far as the Caucasus. It is also common in Palestine, Syria, and Arabia ; and the 

 present writer on one occasion saw from the deck of a P. and O. steamer one of 

 these animals walking on the Syrian side of the Suez Canal. From Syria it 

 extends into Northern Africa, where it is occasionally met with in Abyssinia, but 



