African Civet — Hyaena 59 



remains of its former importance as a scent-producer, may be thought to 

 deserve a few lines. 



The civet of Africa is about 50 inches in length, of which about 18 

 inches consists of tail. In colour it is of a brownish -gray, brokenly 

 marked with dark streaks and blotches. The back is somewhat crested. 

 The tail is darker than the rest of the body, and marked with rings, 

 which become fainter towards the tip. This is a bush- and cover-loving 

 species, which preys chiefly on feathered creatures, especially game birds, 

 guinea-fowl, lizards, frogs, eggs, and small mammals. It will devour 

 fruit and even roots. It is a dire foe to poultry, and possesses to the full 

 the bloodthirsty propensities of the weasels and cats. The civet stands low 

 on the leg, but is extremely active. It is of nocturnal habits and, unless 

 trapped or hunted up and cornered by dogs, seldom seen by the average 



sportsman. 



H. A. Bryden. 



THE HYiENAS 



Family Hy^nid/e. Genus Hyaena 



Hyaenas also belong to the same group of Carnivora as the cats and civets, 

 from both of which they are readily distinguished by their ungainly 

 external appearance and the form and structure of the skull and teeth. 

 All the feet are four-toed and digitigrade, with the stout claws incapable of 

 retraction. The tail is of moderate length and bushy, and the fur coarse, 

 shaggy, and more or less distinctly marked either with spots or stripes. 

 A hyaena's skull is easily recognised by the enormous vertical crest of bone 

 on the hinder half of its upper surface, which affords adequate support for 

 the powerful muscles of the jaws. The cheek-teeth in front of the 

 carnassials are of a stout, conical form, adapted for bone-cracking, the 

 carnassials themselves being very similar to those of the cats, and the upper 



