142 CANID^. 



f 2ncl. Jackals. Saccalius, Hamilton Smith. 



Of moderate size, gregarious ; brush rather scanty. 



136. Canis aureus. 



LiNN^us. — Blyth, Cat. 124. — Elliot, Cat. 18. — Khold or Kola, H., 

 in the South of India and Mahr. — Kolya, in some parts. — Giclar or 

 Ghidar, H., in the North. — Shied or Sled, or Sidr and Shicdu, in Bengal 

 and adjacent provinces. — Nari, Can. — NaJcha, Tel. — NerJca of Gonds. — 

 Shingcd or Sjekcd, in Persia, whence our English word. — Amu, Bliot. 



The Jackal. 



Descr. — Fur of a dusky yellowish or rufous gray, the hairs being 

 mottled black, gray, and brown, with the under fur brownish-yellow ; 

 lower parts yellowish-gray ; tail reddish-brown, ending in a darkish 

 tuft ; more or less rufous on the muzzle and limbs ; tail moderately hairy. 



Length, head and body, 28 to 30 inches; tail 10 or 11 ; height about 

 16-17 inches. 



The Jackal varies considerably in the colour of its fur according to 

 season and locality. A black variety is by no means rare in Bengal ; 

 but I never saw or heard of it in the south of India. 



This well-known animal abounds throughout all India, and its habits 

 are too well known to require much notice. It occurs also in Ceylon, 

 but is rare in lower Burmah, and said to be only of I'ecent introduction 

 there. It is a very useful scavenger, clearing away all garbage and 

 carrion from the neighbourhood of large towns, but occasionally com- 

 mitting depredations among poultry and other domestic animals. Sickly 

 sheep and goats usually fall a prey to him ; and a wounded antelope is 

 pretty certain to be tracked and hunted to death by jackals. They wUl 

 however partake freely of vegetable food. Sykes says he devastates the 

 vineyards in the west of India ; in Bhagulpore he is said to be fond of 

 sugar-cane ; and he everywhere consumes large quantities of the ber 

 fruit, Zizyphus j\(juba. In Wynaad, as well as in Ceylon, he devours 

 considerable quantities of ripe coffee-berries : the seeds pass through 

 him, well pulped, and are found and picked up by the coolies : it is 

 asserted that the seeds so found make the best coffee ! 



The female jackal brings forth about four young in holes in the ground, 

 occasionally in dry drains in cantonments. The Jackal is easily pulled 



