518 

 MISCELLANEOUIS NOTES. 



No. I.— A TAILLESS JACKAL. 



While out riding this morning, I came across a Jackal {Canis aureus) without 



a tail. It crossed a country track some 20 yards in front of me and then 



stopped and stared at me. I was afforded a good opportunity of looking at it. 



It was in very good condition, with a sleek coat and on the fat side. I could 



not judge its sex, but if it was a bitch, I should say she was in pup. There 



was no sign of a stump of a tail, and the opinion I formed was that the Jackal 



had been born without a tail. After looking at me for a short while, the 



Jackal moved on and sat down under the shade of a milk bush, some 30 or 40 



yards off, showing the greatest unconcern. I have seen a good many Jackals 



during my time in India, but I have never come across one without a tail before, 



so report it in case it may prove of interest to others. 



R. M. BETHAM, Lt.-Col., 



The 101st Grenadiers. 

 Mhow, C. I., 18^;i April 1909. 



No. II.— A FIGHT BETWEEN A HY^NA AND A PANTHER. 



Possibly the following may be of some interest to other members of the 

 Society as throwing a side-light upon, to me at least, an unknown side of a 

 hyaena's character. 



I had had a goat tied up near a neighbouring hill on the chance of its con- 

 taining a panther and heard yesterday morning that it had been killed by a hyaena. 

 As it was probable that the latter would polish off any other goats we might 

 tie up we decided to sit up for him, and accordingly my wife and I took up our 

 position in a machan on the ground shortly after 6 p. m. We had not long to 

 wait before the hytena appeared and stood covered by some trees a little 

 distance off. It seemed very uneasy and retreated more than once, always 

 returning to the same spot where we had first seen it. Finally, just as it got 

 dark, it moved off into the jungle on our left, and for some time there was 

 silence. By this time it was quite dark except for a little feeble moonlight. 

 Suddenly from our rear there was a rush and a panther bounded into the open 

 glade in front of the machan, halted a brief second, and as suddenly bounded 

 away again. In a minute it was back and sprang at the goat but missed it. I 

 raised my gun to fire, but before I could get the sights on to it, it had seen the 

 hyaena in the jungle close by, and with a roar sprang in the direction of the 

 latter. A grand old scuffle then ensued— unfortunately out of our sight — which 

 lasted for about ten minutes accompanied by much swearing and disturbance 

 of the undergrowth. After it was all over the conqueror came to carry off the 

 Bpoils of war, and to my amazement I saw that it was the hyaena and not the 

 panther who had won the day. His triumph was however short-lived as I 

 dropped him dead before he could reach the goat. The panther who all the 

 time had never ceased to spit and swear did not seem in the least put out by 

 the firing, and evidently thought that some wonderful intervention of provi- 



