NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 
hood of the slaughterhouses. So destructive did 
it prove to the settlers’ flocks and herds, that every 
possible effort was made to destroy it; and in those 
early days when poisons of a suitable nature were 
so scarce, and the firearms so crude, it was no easy 
matter. 
With the exception of a few specimens in the wild 
bushy localities in the northern districts of the Cape 
Province, this hyzna is extinct south of the Orange 
River. In the unfrequented bush-covered parts 
of upper Natal a few of these animals are stated to 
still survive ; and in the dense tree-covered districts 
of Zululand it still exists, becoming more plentiful 
in the eastern part of the Transvaal, Portuguese 
Territory, and on upwards as far as the Sahara. 
When primitive ape-like man ceased to lead an 
arboreal life, and arming himself with clubs and 
roughly-chipped stone axes, he ventured forth to 
secure a more abundant food supply, which the 
ground afforded in the shape of roots, bulbs, seeds, 
and small living creatures, he found himself beset 
by many enemies. He sought out caves in which 
to take shelter, and finding them already inhabited 
by Spotted Hyznas, otherwise known as Cave 
Hyznas, he gave them battle, and slaying or 
driving them forth, he established himself in 
their lairs. . : 
It was formerly considered that the Cave Hyena 
was a different species to the Spotted Hyena of 
to-day, but naturalists are now agreed that the two 
82 
