THE HYANAS AND AARD-WOLF 81 
The hyzenas are carnivorous animals, with the 
front limbs longer than the hind. The tail is 
short, the colour spotted or brindled, the teeth and 
jaws of great strength. 
The Brown Hyna, or STRAND-WOLF, iS an 
African species, with very long, coarse hair, reach- 
ing a length of 10 inches on the back. It is not 
found north of the Zambesi; and it is nocturnal, 
and fond of wandering along the shore, where 
it picks up crabs and dead fish. Young cattle, 
sheep, and lambs are also killed by it, and offal of 
all kinds devoured. 
The Sporrep Hyna is a large and massive 
animal, the head and body being 4 feet 6 inches 
long without the tail. It is found all over Africa 
from Abyssinia and Senegal southwards. A few 
ES 7 are left in Natal. It is believed to be the same 
Photo by A. 8. Rudland & Sons as the cave-hyzena of Europe. By day it lives 
SPOTTED HYANA much in the holes of the aard-vark (ant-bear); by 
The largest of the carrion-feeding animals. A South African night it goes out, sometimes in small bands, to 
ea seek food. It has a loud and mournful howl, 
beginning low and ending high. It also utters a horrible maniacal laugh when excited, which 
gives it the name of Laughing-hyzna. «Its appetite,’ says Mr. W. L. Sclater in his « South 
African Mammals,” “is boundless. It is entirely carnivorous, but seems to prefer putrid and 
decaying matter, and never kills an animal unless driven to doso by hunger. Sheep and donkeys 
are generally attacked at the belly, and the bowels torn out by its sharp teeth. Horses are also 
frequent objects of attack; but in this case shackling is useful, as the horse, unable to escape, 
faces the hyzena, which instantly bolts. It is an excellent scavenger, and it has been known to 
kill and carry off young children, though the least attempt at pursuit will cause it to drop them. 
Many stories are told, too, of its attacking sleeping natives ; in this case it invariably goes for the 
man’s face. Drummond states 
that he has seen many men 
who had been thus mutilated, 
wanting noses, or with the 
whole mouth and lips torn 
away. This is confirmed by 
other authors.” Drummond 
gives an instance of seven 
cows being mortally injured in 
a single night by two hyenas, 
which attacked them and bit 
offthe udders. Poisoned meat 
is the only means to get rid of 
this abominable animal. _ 
Sir Samuel Baker says: 
“I can safely assert that the 
bone-cracking power of this 4 mee pera 
. s . Photo by A, S, Rudlan Sons 
animal is extraordinary. I y Bac esas 
cannot say that it exceeds the 
‘i The jaws of the hyena are specially made for cracking bones, They will smash the thigh-bona 
lion or tiger in the strength op 2 daglate iz 
