AARD-WOLF. 479 



or canines, are not longer than the front teeth, and the flesh-tooth is scarcelj' dis- 

 tinguishable from the adjacent teetL The length of the head and iDody of the eupleres 

 is about 19i inches, the tail being about one-third of this length. The body is covered 

 with a imiformh--coloured woolly fur, of which the general tint is olive, finely speckled 

 with yellow : this speckled appearance being due to the individual hairs being 

 banded with ditit:'rentl}--coloured rings. The ears are large, the short tail is bush}', 

 the feet, which are furnished with five toes, are remarkable for their extreme 

 slendemess, ami the claws are long and like those of the mungooses. In tlie young 

 euplei-es the fur of tlie shouldei's has black transverse stripes. It does not appear 

 that anything is known of tlie habits of this rare, and doubtless nocturnal, creature, 

 but the weakness of its teeth and jaws suggests that its food consists rather of 

 insects than of flesL 



ExTixcT Civet-like Animals. 



It has been mentioned, under the heading of the true civets, that remains of 

 species belonging to tliat group are found low down in the Tertiarj- series of Europe. 

 It may be added here that remains of mungocses, which have been referred to the 

 typical genus Hcrpestes, are also fouml in these same upper Eocene and lower 

 ]Hiocene rocks of France. There also occur tlie bones and teeth of other animals 

 more nearly allied to the linsangs ; while othei-s, again, appear to connect the civets 

 with the weasels — a connection which wouM have been wholly unsuspected if 

 .science had only existing animals to deal with. In a later geological epoch — 

 namely, the lower part of the Pliocene — there occui-s another interesting type 

 known as the ictithere, which serves so completely to connect the civets with 

 the hyffinas as to prove conclusivelj- the close alliance of these two families of 

 Carnivores. Before, however, proceeding to the hyaenas, we uiust tii-st take into 

 consideration 



The Aard-Wolf. 



Family Frotelewje. 



Genus Proteles. 



The remarkable creature known to the Dutch boers of South Africa as the 

 aard-wolf is one of those animals which have long been a puzzle to zoologists. 

 It is evidently allied in many respects to the hj'aenas, but in others it is so 

 diflei-ent that it becomes a matter of exceeding difficult}^ to decide if it should 

 be included in the same family. The majority of English zoologists appear, 

 however, to be inclined to regard the aard-wolf (Proteles cristatus) as the solitary 

 representative of a distinct family. 



In size it has been compared to a large and " leggy " fox ; while, in external 

 appearance, the aard-wolf (which is known to the Kaffirs as the isidawane) some- 

 what resembles a rather small and thin-bodied striped hya?na, but it has longer 

 eai-s and a more pointed muzzle. The fur, which is inclined to be shaggj' and 

 of a woolly nature, is of a yellowish or reddish-brown colour, marked with 

 alxjut half a dozen transverse black stripes on the sides of the body ; and there 



