KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 48. wN:o §. 55 
Carnivora. 
Canidex. 
Canis mesomelas ScurREBER. 
De Winton: Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1899 p. 539. 
North of Guaso Nyiri this Jackal was evidently common in the thornbush 
country. The specimens which I saw in Febr. and March had remarkably bright 
colours, the rufous of the hindquarters and flanks appeared especially clear when 
they ran away through the bushes. 
I had expected to find a small race of the Black-backed Jackal in this country 
because Noack has described’ from Somaliland a small variety which he has called 
Canis mesomelas schmidti. This was, however, not the case. The specimens which 
I saw were not small. The females are smaller than the males, but a young adult 
female measured from snout to vent 72 cm., and the tail was 34 cm. without hair. 
In the accompanying table of measurements the dimensions of 9 skulls of 
Canis mesomelas from different parts of Africa® have been recorded. From this 
g | | gO | o | % |2ee 
- 2 | o Salad ‘OF S..| 'o ou @ Ea 
T_|o| e |azlet/ee| 2 88) ) o Ere 
= Bale Pe od ese | oe | ss a) R233 z 
p= ar go)edlec| 4 lse| < | & jos foals 34 
|S] 8 2 SEISE/SA =” fe oa a ec a) ee 
= S ijb¢ i oe P; 2 o & 5 = = Bla Elo . 
= =| =) ro|#O/se/ © IOS] S| 29/20) Wa w 
a= < =m Qa ~ r=} pS S HZelweal Ee o 
= i=] i=) f=) =o Pa) |B | vA =| = B c PA 
1}o e | }ouR le 4 ma 2 2 > &o 
tS =] S| Cre Hie jas” 
a a ae a as a ee oe ee 
mm mm, mm.|; mm.) mm. mm. mm. mm. mm. mm.| mm. mm. mm. 
Maximum length of Aki . «4. - rece 0 © be | 165 |1665 | 149 | 156 | 152 (147 |150 | — | 150 | 150 | 153 (143 148.4 
Basicranial lengt of skull... 1... 2-1 sn. + ses | 150 |150 / 137 | 144 | 137 | 137,5) 136 |129 | 137 | 138 — |— = 
| | ; ; 
ety ss eee ee | 85 | 86| 81 | 83,5) 86 | 83 | 87 79 | 84 | 83 | 87 (82) 84,6 
Greatest width of brain-case ............ BAe (O62 Sr? | Mer) 6a. 8s) eat) ao BD Bie | Se 
Greatest length of nasals....-..-....2.-. | 64 | 70 | 56 64 54 51 61 | 42) 65l 63 | — | — = 
Distance from hind margin of m’ to front surface of i') 88 | 89 | 81 | 85 8&1 | 80 | 79 | — |} 79) 7) — | — — 
Distance from orbit to tip of premaxillary ... . . 71 | 72) 64 69 | 62 | 61 61 | —j} 60 | 62; —|— = 
Least interorbital breadth ............. / 28 | 30/| 28 27,3| 27,5; 30 | 28 | a= 4) 28,5) 26 | 29 | 29 29,3 
Distance between tips of postorbital processus ...| 44,5 47) 44 | 44 | 43 46 | 46 | — | 44 | 43) — | — -- 
oot, Cy lent le ella lle el dt ta aa 18 | — | 16,5] 17,3] 16,5] 17 | 165] —| 17 | 17 | 163/15 | 168 
> eee Piatowelng rs 3 Fs FD SCS SP wd! \ } 12,3) — | 11,3} 12,2] 11,9) 11,9] 11,4] — | 11,2] 111) — | — _— 
the superior size of the males in South Africa is quite apparent. On the other hand 
it is plainly seen that the female skulls from Damaraland, Kilimanjaro, Sotik, the 
Guaso Nyiri district, and Eritrea agree very closely in size so that there cannot be 
based any racial difference on the size as far as the Black-backed Jackals of these 
1 Zool. Anz. Bd. XX. 1897, p. 519. 
* I am indebted to Mr. R. J. Cunnicuame for two skulls from South Sotik. 
* This skull has been obtained from Rey. Mr. K. G. Ropen. 
