THE HYiENA. 237 



all day with a Barbary Hyssna, when it was fasting, 

 and found them in the evening alive and unhurt; but 

 on his repeating an experiment of this kind one night, 

 it ate up a young Ass, a Goat, and a Fox, all before 

 morning, so as to leave nothing but some fra'-^nients 

 of the Ass's bones. — In Barbary, therefore, the 

 Hyaenas seem to loose their courage, and fly from man 

 by day ; but in Abysssinia, they often prowl about 

 in the open day, and attack, with savage fury, every 

 animal they meet with. — '^^ These creatures were 

 (says Mr. Bruce) a general scourge to Abyssinia, in 

 every situation, both in the city and in the field ; 

 and, I think, surpassed the Sheep in number. Gon- 

 dar was full of them, from evening till the dawn of 

 day ; seeking the different pieces of slaughtered car- 

 casses which this cruel and unclean people expose in 

 the streets without burial, and who firmly believe 

 that these animals are the evil genius Falasha, from 

 the neighbouring mountains, transformed by magic, 

 and come dovvU to eat human flesh in the dark with 

 safety. Many a time in the night, when the king 

 had kept me late in the palace, and it was not m.y 

 duty to lie there, in going across the square from the 

 king's house, not many hundred yards distant, I 

 have been apprehensive lest they should bite me in 

 the leg. They grunted in great numbers about me, 

 although I was surrounded with several armed micn, 

 who seldom passed a night without wounding or 

 slauorhterins: some of them. — One nio-ht in Maitshn, 

 being very intent on an observation, I heard some- 

 thing pass behind me towards the bed ; but, upon 

 looking round, could perceive nothing. Having- 



