372 
THE HYENA. 
has no hair except that of the mane on his 
hack. It is a small animal, and the skin 
is of a purplish colour. There is also the 
brown hyena, and the stained hyena, of 
which the colours are pale yellowish brown 
with black spots and 'stripes. It is smaller 
than the other varieties, hut is exceedingly 
destructive to sheep. Like the other hyenas, 
it is most active at night, and rejoices in 
rainy and stormy weather. A small hyena, 
not larger than a fox, has been shot in Caf- 
fraria, but very little is known of its habits. 
“At present the race of hyenas is con¬ 
fined to the warm regions in or near the 
tropics; but geology shows us clearly that 
there was a time when these animals were 
spread over nearly the whole earth. The 
remains of great animals of the cat kind and 
of bears are also found; but they are very 
few in number compared to those of hyenas. 
They were the companions of the great mas¬ 
todons, elephants, tapirs, and other immense 
quadrupeds which roamed over the earth at 
that period, and the bones of which bear the 
marks of their powerful teeth. Great num¬ 
bers of hyenas’ bones are found in Eng¬ 
land.” 
