LEFT FORE-FOOT OF 

 THE TREE - HYRAX. 



HYRACES. 519 



the palaeothere, there being some amount of variation in the form and height of 

 the crowns of these teeth in the different species. 



Like other Ungulates, hyraces have no collar-bones (clavicles) ; and the tail is 

 reduced to a mere stump. In the fore-foot there are four functional toes, of which 

 the outermost is smaller than the others ; the first digit being represented by a 

 mere rudiment. The hind-foot has only three toes, of which the innermost is 

 furnished with a long curved claw, while the other two, like all those in the fore- 

 foot, carry broad and short nails, somewhat like those of a rhinoceros. All the 

 bones of the limbs are fully developed and separate from one 

 another ; and the thigh-bone, or femur, lacks the distinct third 

 trochanter characterising the Odd -toed Ungulates. In many 

 species the socket of the eye is completely surrounded by bone, 

 but in others it is partially open behind. 



The hyraces have sharply-pointed muzzles and small rounded 

 ears ; and their bodies are covered with a thick coat of nearly 

 uniformly-coloured hair, which varies in length in the different 

 species. Near the middle of the back there is a gland, surrounded 



r to THE BONES OF THE 



and partly covered by a patch of hairs differing in colour from upper part of the 



those on the rest of the body. Frequently the central part of 



this gland is naked, — in one species for a length of fully two (From Osbom. 



inches, — but it is generally concealed by the convergence of the 



surrounding hairs. In most species the female has three pairs of mammae, one of 



which is placed near the fore-limbs, while the other two are situated posteriorly ; 



but in three species of tree-hyrax there is but a single pair. 



The various species of Hyrax, about fourteen in number, are 

 Distribution. « 1 



confined to Africa, Arabia, and Syria. In Africa they are found in 



the extreme south at the Cape, and thence range along the eastern and western 

 coasts about as far north as the 20th parallel of north latitude ; while they also occur 

 in the central equatorial regions. They are usually found in rocky districts, at 

 elevations varying from near the sea-level to upwards of eleven thousand feet. 

 Abyssinian The whole of the species of hyrax are now included by Mr. O. 



Hyraces. Thomas in the single genus Procavia ; and as it will be unnecessary 

 to notice all of them, we shall confine our remarks to some of the best known. 

 Of these the Abyssinian hyrax ( P. abyssinica) agrees with the majority in the 

 light colour of the patch of hairs surrounding the gland on the back. It is of 

 medium size ; the total length along the curves of a female specimen measured by 

 Mr. Blanford being 20 inches, and the height at the shoulder 8 inches. Its fur 

 is coarse and harsh, and in specimens from high elevations somewhat elongated, 

 but short in those from the lowlands. The light spot round the gland is very 

 small and inconspicuous. 



Mi-. Blanford says " that these hyraces live in rocky or stony 

 places, in communities, like rabbits, haunting holes beneath the 

 rocks. A large pile of loose blocks, especially if there are precipices around, is 

 sure to be inhabited by them. They are frequently found, too, in rocky water- 

 courses. They appear to feed at night and very early in the morning, their 

 principal food being the leaves and young shoots of trees and bushes. During the 



