1855.] from the Somali country. 293 



Gray considers to be a S. African variety of H. striata, Zimmer- 

 man, the common Striped Hyaena of Asia and N. Africa. We have 

 seen H. villosa alive, and have minutely compared its skull with 

 skulls of the Spotted and of the Striped Hyaenas ; and arrived at 

 the conclusion that it was a distinct species, nearly affined to H. 

 striata, but with the solitary true molar less developed, though 

 more so than in H. croctjta.* Dr. Gray even institutes a genus 

 Croccta, to which he refers as species Cr. maotjlata (Cams cro- 

 cuta, Erxleben, Hyaena maculata, Humb., v. H. capensis, Desmarest), 

 the ordinary Spotted Hyaena, and Cr. brunnea (with synonymes as 

 before cited). The Somali animal is probably the latter. The 

 specimen is a female. " The Somali call it Waraba, ^\jj or Durwa, 

 tjjd. It is common to all the Somali country, whines about the 

 camp all night, and devours anything it can find during the day, 

 pulling down camels and even children. The natives have many 

 Superstitions about this animal, and you often hear of a man being 

 called Waraba after his proper name ; the idea being that by rubbing 

 certain plants over the body the magician can convert himself like 

 Mars into a Wolf. In the cold season when the Waraba is hungry 

 he attacks man. The Somalis all declare this animal to be a herma- 

 phrodite, copulating and being copulated with alternately." (Vide 

 Pliny, VIII, 30 ; as cited by Cuvier, Oss. JFoss. VII, 312, 4th edit.) 



* Mungos fasciatus ; Herpestes fasciatus, Desmarest : Viverra 

 mungo, Kaempfer ; V. ichneumon, Schreber (from Bnffon, III, 1. 19) ; 

 H. zebra, Eiippell ; Ryzcena suricata apud Children, ' Appendix to 

 Clapperton's Travels'). " Called the Kadaf, «J^. These animals 

 run about in large batches, and defend themselves savagely when 

 wounded. They inhabit the plateau, burrow deep, and when pursued 

 endeavour to escape by hiding themselves : yet with characteristic 

 curiosity, they must peep out of their asylum after a few minutes' 

 concealment." 



Felis caracal, Schreber. " Called by the Somalis Jumbil, 

 clj^-*^. It is principally found in the plains." 



*Xerus rutilans; Sciurus rutilans, Eiippell: X. brachyotus, 

 Hemprich and Ehrenberg, apud Gray. " Ground Squirrel, called 

 DabaMlla, &&}&. It abounds all over the country, burrows especially 

 * Vide also Cuvier, Oss. F<jss. VII, 319 (4th edit.) 



2 q 2 



