384 NOTICE RELATIVE TO THE HABITS 
whole country, attacking almost every animal but man ; 
tliey prefer, however, as being easier procured, the carcases 
of animals which have either died of disease, or fallen under 
the hands of the huntsman. The carcase they often drag 
away to a considerable distance from the place where it fell ; 
but I have almost always been able to discover the skele- 
ton, and that often, tolerably entire. Negative evidence, I 
am aware, is never reckoned so good as positive ; and while 
I assert, that the carcases of animals killed at a distance 
from human habitations are generally devoured on the spot 
by the hyena, vulttire, &c. — a fact proved by the bones being- 
found scattered about, and often confined to a small space^ 
— yet I do not wish it to be understood that I deny that hye- 
nas ever drag tlieir prey, including the bones, to the caverns, 
or wild mountain-tracts, they inhabit. Many instances oc-* 
curred, however, which indicate that they do not ; and the 
most remarkable happened to me whilst surveying the ex- 
ceedingly wild district bordering the Great Fish River and 
Caffraria. A large elephant had been killed about two 
months before, and had fallen in the centre of a forest of 
bush, infested with hyenas, panthers, and other beasts of 
prey. I proceeded to the spot, with a view of examining 
the grinding-teeth, and was surprized to find almost the 
whole skeleton present, perfectly well cleaned, but almost 
imtouched. It seemed to me^ that^ had I been so inclined, 
I might have collected almost every bone, or at least a spe- 
cimen of each, uninjured. 
Again, at the distance of many months, we used to visit 
the spots where large elephants^ hippopotami, or buffaloes 
fell, and never failed to discover the remains of the skele- 
tons^ often exceedingly perfect. On the deserts lay the ske- 
letons of numerous antelopes, which had fallen a sacrifice 
to the lion and panther ; and even close to the abode of 
man, the carcases of sick oxen, sheep, horses, &c. are de- 
