NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 
blood is then eagerly lapped up, and a portion of 
the tenderest of the flesh is eaten. The rest is 
abandoned, and, as a rule, the hunter does not 
return to it, knowing probably it would be of little 
use to do so, for the many other carnivorous 
denizens of the bush-veld soon smell it out and 
devour it. 
Some years ago I fenced in some acres on an 
estate in Natal, and let loose two score of rabbits. 
At first they bred rapidly, but the muishonds 
found them out and, climbing over and digging 
under the wire netting at night, they soon destroyed 
them all. One of these rabbits was very tame, 
and on the least alarm bolted off to my residence 
and sought refuge under my bed. One bright 
moonlight evening I was sitting on the stoep and 
observed a dark form bounding down the avenue. 
It turned out to be my tame rabbit, which in its 
terror did not notice me, but vanished indoors. 
Presently I saw in the moonlight a dark form, with 
nose to the ground and tail elevated, following the 
trail of the rabbit at a slow trot, and so intent was 
it on its pursuit of its intended victim that it did 
not observe me, and was about to pass through 
the open doorway when I sprang up. With a 
succession of fierce yells it instantly faced me. 
I as rapidly retired out of range of its peculiar 
but effective mode of defence, which is one of the 
most evil-smelling substances imaginable. It is 
a fluid, yellow in colour, secreted by certain anal 
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