THE HYANA. Bx

immensely powerful teeth with which he can crush the bones
of his victims, apparently eating bones and flesh with impu-
nity. He is nocturnal in his habits, living in caves and
hollows in the day time and prowling about at night in search
of prey. Speaking of the Barbary hyena Bruce says:—“ He
seems to be stupid or senseless in the day, or at the appear-
ance of strong light, unless when pursued by hunters. I have
locked up a goat, a kid, and a lamb, with him all day when
he was fasting, and found them in the evening alive and
unhurt.” The principle varieties are the striped Hyzena, and
the spotted Hyzna. Bruce speaking of the former says, “he
is brutish, indolent, slovenly and impudent and seems to
possess much the manners of the wolf. His courage appears
to proceed from an insatiable appetite, and has nothing of
the brave or generous in it, and he dies oftener flying than fight-
ing.” The cry of the hyzna, sometimes called a laugh,
begins with a moan and ends with a demoniacal shriek which
has been variously described by travellers but which all agree
in calling hideous and disgusting. In size he resembles a
large mastiff, but the formation of his neck and jaws give
him a power far beyond that of other animals of his size.
Whatever fear he may have of man, he has none of other
animals and will even face the lion. Bruce speaks of his
special liking for the flesh of the dog and of the dog’s reluc-
tance to face him. “My greyhounds, accustomed to fasten
upon the wild boar, would not venture to engage with him.
On the contrary, there was not a journey I made that he
did not kill several of my greyhounds, and once or twice
robbed me of my whole stock: he would seek and seize
them in the servants’ tents where they were tied, and en-
deavour to carry them away before the very people that were
guarding them.” His coat is covered with long coarse hairs
of a dirty grey colour, which form a mane the length of his
back, his sides being striped or spotted, according to the
species. The hyzena for all his repulsiveness serves a useful
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