THE GREY JACKAL 

 Canis variegatus, Cretschm. 



Somali name, Dawa!o 



Description. — The general colour of this jackal is brownish 

 grey all over. The underfur is buff with long black and white 

 hairs distributed all over, but thicker and longer along the middle 

 line of the back. The tail, which is usually scraggy, is pale 

 ochraceous brown, with a brown or black tip. 



Measurements of a female in the flesh were 



in. 



Distribution. — All over Somaliland this jackal is more or 

 less common, but it is perhaps commoner on the Golis, whereas C. 

 mesomelas is commoner on Guban. Curiously enough, this is the 

 only jackal I have seen at Sheikh, where it is very common. 



Habits. — This jackal is very noisy, and may be heard giving 

 vent to its weird wail every evening at sunset. It usually gives 

 vent to a peculiar spasmodically uttered cackling sound when 

 hungry, or when it sees a hyaena, which it often runs at, trying to 

 bite at him, and the whole time keeping up this noise and following 

 in the hyaena's wake. I have seen this jackal act thus on more 

 than one occasion. They are very cowardly, even more so than 

 their black-backed relative. This jackal appears to me to be 

 commoner in the open country, while C. mesomelas prefers the 

 thick bush. 



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