| Show the hyena irs ITS COWARDICE TERRIBLE POWER OF or lis ITS JAWS there are several species of hyenas all of them possessing certain peculiarities which which distinguish them at once from all other animals the tile principal marks being the length 0 of f their fore legband the enormous power of their jaws their forelegs fore legs are tire BO so much longer than their hinder that tile the animal moves mores with a kind 0 of f shambling shuffle that gives it a sneaking a appearance p pe arance too well borne out by its character the expression of its countenance is that of un ta ill natured ferocity and its voice resembles an exulting demoniacal laugh altogether it is about as unprepossessing a an animal as scan can well be imagined its habits are such as to deepen the unfavorable impression which its personal appearance never fails to create for tor it mostly derives its food from dead bodies of men and animals for the one robbing tile the cemeteries me teries fur the other scouring the streets if it lives near mankind or following the track of the lion and other beasts irit if it liveson the desert and disputing the prey with them if the it body 0 d y ID of f any departed friend is intended to rest in in peace the survivors are forced to fence in and protect the grave by a strong fortress of thorns and prickly shrubs as the hyenas very soon scrape away the earth of a newly made grave prave th jaws of these creatures are more powerful than those of any other animal and to give thern them this power the top of 01 the tiie sk skull tall is surmounted with an enormous bony ridge serving erving for the support 41 0 the immense muscles that move the jaws the lion lions and tigers possess tolerably powerful jaws and s have accordingly a large ridge on their head but thy sink sin into insignificance when placed beside the skull of a hyena the object of this enormous enor mou power oriah is evident the bienas are intended as is scavengers casen caven gers to remove from the face of the earah those substances which would otherwise and jo lute the air among these su substances m may ay be placed the dead carcasses of large animals which in the country where the hyena lives are frequently seen thrown down unheeded eded and if the hyenas and vultures did not remove them would be suffered to remain there until they hid wasta away by putrefaction it is therefore with a view to this end that the jaws of the he hyena have been made so powerful when they discover a dead animal it soon vanishes for the hyenas leave nothing but the horns hoofs and kull kuil even the verg verb very bones being devoured between betwee n the teeth of a hyena the leg bone of an ox is is broken up as easily as a it schoolboy cracks a nut and not only does the animal break up the bones for the sake of the marrow but devours bones and all dr buckland who made several experiments on the strength of hyenas jaws jaw compared them toa to a cf crushing u lhing mill or those enormous shea shears 3 us e ed d in foundries to cut up rolls of iron and c copper 0 theve these rh ese experiment exper experiments imen ts were made in order to clear up a doubt respecting some broken bones found round in kirkdale Kirk dile cave scotland dr buckland asserted that they were the bones of certain animals cracked by the hyenas whose skeletons lay near the power of jaw required for such 1 a feat eat appeared so improbable that dr buckland commenced a series of experiments with a v view lew to ascertain ascertaining i ng the point he ile therefore presented the leg bones of oxen to a livi living n y hyena who instantly broke them between I 1 hla hia i jaw jaws and began to swallow sallow the smaller pieces dr buckland then took away the crushed ends of the bones and compared them with chuse found in kirkdale cave As lie he had imagined they corresponded so closely that there was no longer a doubt on the subject the neck of these animals ig is also exceeding exceedingly lv s strong trong and when the skin is off looks like a fleshy cable cabie and with such force bre are these mu muscles cles cies ensued endued that according to cuvier ier ler the joints ol 01 the vertebras vertebra verte brad bras sometimes become an hylo sed or rendered tendered immoveable by the tha e strain of the muscles the neck therefore becomes quite qu ite stiff and leads many people to imag imagine ine that the neck of the hyena has only ong ono joint the hyenas are now confined to africa and ario parl purl of asia although the hyena has been called an un lin ta animal there have been si several verai verat tame tome hyenas known which have domesticated them selves like dogs and appeared quite as much attached to their masters he hyena is a shockingly cowardly animal and never attacks those creatures from whom it fears feats any resistance but directs its efforts toward carrying off their young curiously enough it is much more successful in the chase of healthy animals than those which mch are weakened by disease for this reason the hyena has no notion of opposing any animal that boldly resists him but if he can put to flight t any creature lie pursues it with all the tha courage im imaginable agi when therefore he is about to any v living animal h he first ej up a tre how and gnashes binash s his teotil te eth at this sound those animals animal who a are r e in health trust to their speed and scamper off while those who are ire dip deprived rived of their speed by illness mm turn round and boldly face him whereat he prudently leaves them and chases the fugitives bo so fearing man but having a liking lilting for human flesh the hyena comes silently by night and steals away sleeping children from the very arms of their mothers and that so quietly that the unfortunate parent is often unconscious of her loss until aroused by the cries of her infant as the nocturnal is carrying it off I 1 have before mentioned the enormous strength of the hyenas neck and will now give an all instance where the creature exhibited liis his powers of neck in a very singular manner the flooring of a hyenas den wanted repairing the carpenter had been working at it for some time and completed his work by nailing down a stout oak plank plan about seven feet in length the plank was fastened down hy by a dozen or so nails of the description called b being e i rather longer than a mans middle finger and proportionately stout when the pank plank was nailed down the carpenter discovered that at one end there was a small smail piece ot of wood standing out a little higher than the rest Ile he sought for his chisel ch isel to take takeoff aff the offending projection but not finding it he ienn left the den in order to bring one from his shop during his absence some visitors came camp and the hyena vas was wag was admitted into hig his den fr for a time with the usual curiosity of hyenas he instantly began an tin examination of the alterations iterations that had been made and on discovering the projecting piece ot of wood he fastened his teeth into it and wrenched up the plank it lib iii spite spile of the nails the curiosity with which these animals are FO so strongly stron itron gly imbued often acts as a preservative against danger they are very suspicious alid and if they meet with any object to which they are unaccustomed accustomed na they fear it as a trap and retreat eat imme immediately dia dla tely TIl ermers whose flocks and herds had buffi summered suffered ered from the attacks of these rave ravenous n otis animals were accustomed to place spring pring guns in in their way so managed 11 that when the animal presses against certain leathern rn thongs stretched across the path the trigger of f tile the gun is and the charge lodged in in the hyena this plan answered t tolerably at girst first but the crafty anin alsjoon I 1 arned lamed to distrust leathern thongs and the farmers were obliged t ti substitute the stems of creepers thes these the hyenas did not fear and consequently lost no small number of their forces the cowardice of the hyena has been before mentioned but like other regard eeward eov aeils when faidy driven to bay lay they fight in the most despe desperate raie manner anner and th they eyare are foes not to be despised a as i if they do contrive to get a hold on their adversary with their anwer powerful ful jul jaws jaus they seldom loose their hold bold until they have lost their head and rid at all events do consider considerable ahie ahle injury A hyena that had ventured to attack bruce the african traveler in his tent af aff ordea furdea a fair example of or the character craftiness cow ardice impudence and ferocity ile he writes as follows these a general scourge to abyssinia in every situation situa tinn both of the city and the field and they seem teem to surpass even the sheep in number from evening till the dawn of day the town of gondor was full nf of them I 1 here I 1 ere they sought the different pieces of slaughtered carcasses which this cruel and unclean people were accustomed to expose in the streets without burial many a time in the night when the king had kept me late in the tile palace on going across the quare from the llie king a house I 1 have ben beon apprehensive lest the hyenas should bite me on the leg they grunt ed in great numbers around me althou although a 1 I was surrounded with several armed men llo ilo who fin seldom passed a night without wounding or hilli killing n g some arthem of them one in Mait malt sha being very intent on an 4 I 1 heard something pass pats behind me toward the bed but on dooh looh looking in y round could perceive nothing having finished what I 1 was then ther about I 1 went ent out of my tent resolving directly to tp return this I 1 immediately did and ond in sa si ding dlag d inq ing perceived two large blue eyes glaring at me in the dark I 1 called my servant to a light and we found a al hyena standing near tile the head of the he bed tied with wilh t two 0 or three large bunches bunche s cf of candles candies in n his mouth to have fired at him would have been at the risk of breaking my quadrant or other furniture and he lie seemed by keeping beeping tile the candies candles steadily in his mouth to wish at fit that time for no other prey As his mouth was full and he lie had no claws to tear with I 1 was not afraid of h him im and wilh with a pike struck him as near the hea bea heart rt ES I 1 could it was not until I 1 had done this that he showed any signs of fier fierceness egness etness but upon feeling his wound he dropped the can dies and find endeavored to run up ap the shaft of t tire time pear spear to arrive at me roe so that I 1 was obliged to d draw rawa a pistol from my girdle and shoot him limit and nearly at the same time my servant cleft his skull with abartle ax in bi a word tbt hyenas were the plague of our lives tile the terror of ou our night inight walks an and the destruction truc tion of our mules and ans asses chii which b above b 0 ve every tiling thing else are their favorite food |
