The Hyaenas and Aard-wolf 



8l 



SPOTTKD HY.EXA. 

 The l;i]-gest of the canion-feeding anirjials, 

 pjiecies. 



A South African 



'J he liyieiias 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 sti'ength. 



The Brown Hy^xa, or Stuand-wolf, is an 

 African species, with vervlong, coarse hair, reaching 

 a length of 10 inches on the back. It is not 

 found north of tlie Zambesi; and it is nocturnal, 

 and fond of wandering along the sliore, where 

 it picks up crabs and dead fish. Young cattle, 

 sheep), and lanrVis aj-e also killed by it, and ofi'al 

 of all kinds devoured. 



The Spotted Hy^<:na 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 soutliwards. A few 

 are left in Natal. It is believed to be the same 

 as the cave-hva'ria of p]urope. By day it lives 

 much in the holes of the aard-vark (ant-l)ear) ; liy 

 night it goes out, sometimes in small bands, to 

 seek food. It lias a loud and mournfQl howl, 

 beginning low and ending high. It also utters a 



horrible maniacal laugli when excited, which gives it the name of Laughing-hyfena. ''Its 



appjetite," says ]Mr. W. L. Sclater in his " South African ^Mammals." '' is boundless. It is 



entirely carnivorous, birt seems to ]>refer pnitrid and decaying matter, and never kills an 



animal unless driven to do so by hunger. Sheep) and donkeys are generally attacked at the 



bellv, and the bowels torn out by its sharpj teeth. Hiirses are also frequent objects of attack ; 



but in this case shackling is useful, as the horse, unable to escapje, faces the hyaena, which 



instantlv bolts. It is an excellent scavenger, and it has been known to kill and carry off young 



children, though the least attempt at jiiusuit will cause it to drop them. JMany stories 



are told, too, of its attacking sleeping natives ; 



face. iJrummond states that 



he has seen many men who 



had been thus mutilated, 



wanting noses, or with the 



whole mouth and lips torn 



awav. This is confirmed by 



other authors." Drummond 



gives an instance of seven 



cows being mortally injured 



in a single night by two 



hyaenas, which attacked them 



and bit off the 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 



animal is extraordinary. I 



cannot say that it exceeds the 



lion 



in this case it invariably goes for the man's 



^jfe^^^^'^lm 



riiolo I'll A. S. Rvilland <C- Sons. 



SPdTTEII HY.ENA. 



or tiger in the strength 



The iaws uf the hy»3Da are specially made for cracking hones. They ^vi]l smash the thi<;h-bone 



of a Ijnffalo. 



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