12 . 
THE HYENA. 
peisons who gave them their food. As they grew older, 
however, their natural ferocity began to appear, and they 
became uneasy and restless in their confinement. One 
of them had been kept in a yard along with some fowls, 
without once offering to hurt them, until he was a year 
and a half old. He then, to show what he could do, 
killed every one of the fowls in a single night, and this 
he did from the mere love of mischief, for he did not eat 
one of them. 
Another of these ferocious beasts, had been shut up 
with a dog, from the time when he was quite young, and 
the two animals had played together with perfect good 
nature for the first year. The Wolf then grew snappish 
and cross, in proportion as he grew older, until his keep¬ 
er was finally obliged to chain him, for fear he would 
hurt the dog. One night, however, the unfeeling brute 
broke his chain, killed the dog, and escaped into the 
woods. 
The Wolf is a very shy and cunning animal. He is 
always on the look out for some snare or trap, and like 
Cain, thinks that everyone who finds him will slay him. 
If he finds a rein-deer, or any other animal tied to a tree, 
he does not go near it, for fear that it has been placed 
there by the hunter, for the purpose of leading him into 
some difficulty. But the moment the animal is let loose, 
he pursues after it with the greatest ferocity. 
ANECDOTE II. 
The following story, showing the sagacity of the Bark¬ 
ing Wolf, is told by Mr. Say. This animal is called 
Barking Wolf, because he barks like the common dog. 
He is found in the great Western forests of America. 
A person wanting to catch one of these animals, made 
a trap, by laying some boards on the ground, and over ( 
these boards setting up a large box, by means of what 
boys call t£ a figure of four.” This trap is so contrived, ( 
that on touching the bait, the box falls and confines the ( 
animal under it, while the boards, on the ground, prevent \ 
his digging out. The cunning Wolf, however, was not ) 
to be caught in this way. He came in the night as was t 
expected, but instead of stepping on the boards and ta- ? 
king the bait, which was a piece of meat, the cautious ? 
creature dug a hole under the boards, which lay on the ) 
ground, and pulled down a part of the meat through the ) 
crevices which had been left between them. Having ) 
eaten as much as he could get in this way, he went off. 
Finding that this trap was of no use, another was made, <j 
consisting of a large cage, somewhat in the form of a ) 
mouse trap, and so contrived that the animal might easily / 
enter it, but when once in, could not come out again. / 
But this trap proved no belter than the other, for the cun- ) 
ning beast would not go into it, though there was plenty > 
of meat within a few feet of his nose. > 
The person next tried a large steel-trap. This trap is 
made of iron, and is so constructed that on touching a 
spring, a pair of jaws and teeth come together, like those 
of a strong animal, and hold fast any thing that is caught 
between them. This trap, well baited with meat, was 
set in the woods and covered with leaves, so that the 
animal could not see it, and the hunter had no doubt but 
j he should have a Wolf in the morning. But on going 
) to it, he found that the Wolves had left their tracks all 
| around his trap, but that the bait was untouched. The 
) bait was then taken from the trap, and hung on the limb 
s of a tree over it, with the hope, that when these sly crea- 
( tures came to pull down the meat, they would, by acci- 
( dent, put their feet into the trap. Several pieces of meat 
( were also hung on the trees around the trap, so that by 
( taking these first, and feeling no harm, the Wolves might 
venture to take that which hung over the trap also. 
I Next morning it was found that these animals had taken 
} away every piece of meat but one, and that was the piece 
r that hung over the trap. This was untouched. The 
) hunter made one more trial. He buried his trap in 
\ ashes, so as if possible to prevent the Wolves from smell- 
) ing it, and hung the bait over it as before. But this also 
) failed, for the meat over the trap was untouched, and no 
) Wolf was caught. 
) Thus did these cunning animals escape all the arts of 
,) the hunter, by the acuteness of their smell, for they must 
> have smelled the iron of which the trap was made, as 
} they could not have seen it. 
THE HYENA. 
What kind of an animal is the Hyena ? 
The Hyena is an animal of the dog kind, but differs 
very much from that animal. 
How large is this animal ? 
He is about the size of the largest dog, being four feet 
long, and about two feet and a half high. 
What is his shape ? 
His shape is peculiar. His back is high ; his fore-legs 
longer than the hind ones; his head is a little like that 
of the wolf, but broader, and his nose not so sharp ; his 
ears are pointed and without hair, and on his back and 
neck there grows a kind of mane, standing up like the 
bristles of a hog. 
What is the color of this animal ? 
The color of the Hyena is like that of wood ashes, 
with black stripes, like waves, running across his sides. 
His hair is rough and coarse, and his tail short and 
bushy. 
Does the Hyena look fierce and dangerous ? 
No animal looks more ferocious and disagreeable than 
