THE SPOTTED HYANA 
of carrying their dead outside the village, and leaving 
the bodies on the ground for the hyznas to eat. 
This they accomplish most effectually, for not a 
vestige of the corpse remains in the morning, except 
perhaps a few splintered bones which bear witness 
to the gruesome feast. This may seem a shocking 
way to dispose of the dead, but it is nevertheless 
a very hygienic and safe one, for the micro-organ- 
isms which were the cause of death are safely en- 
tombed within the body of the hyzna, where they 
are rapidly killed off and digested. 
Although possessed of such fearful teeth and 
powerful jaw muscles, backed up by great bodily 
strength, the Spotted Hyzna is generally recog- 
nised as one of the most cowardly of animals, and 
unless brought to bay will not show fight, preferring 
always to slink off rather than face even a dog much 
inferior in size and strength, and one, moreover, 
which it could kill at a single bite. 
It invariably attacks large living animals such as 
donkeys, horses, and cattle from behind, usually 
between the thighs, or from the side under the 
abdomen, its object being to tear out the entrails 
or make an opening sufficiently large for them 
to escape ‘through, and thus render the victim 
helpless. 
Drummond tells of seven cows which were mor- 
tally wounded by one of these hyznas in a single 
night. The cowardly creature tore the udders 
completely off. 
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