He is larger than the _Hyena vulgaris_, and in character resembles Bruce's, or the Abyssinian hyena.

He is a native of the southern half of Africa, where he is known among the Dutch colonists as the "tiger-wolf;" while the common hyena is by them simply called "wolf." A fourth species is the "brown hyena" (_Hyena villosa_).

The name "brown" hyena is not a good one, as brown colour is by no means a characteristic of this animal.

_Hyena villosa_, or "hairy hyena," is better, as the long, straight hair falling down his sides gives him a peculiar aspect, and at once distinguishes him from any of the others.
He is equally as large and fierce as any, being of the size of a Saint Bernard mastiff, but it is difficult to imagine how any one could mistake him for either a striped or spotted hyena.

His colour is dark brown, or nearly black above, and dirty grey beneath.