254 CARNIVORA. 



THE CRAB-EATING WOLF. 



The Crab-eating Wolf, Cants cancrivoms, or Maikong, is a slender, 

 long-legged, jackal-like animal, with a short, broad, blunt-nosed head, 

 rounded ears of moderate size, placed wide apart, oblique eyes with 

 oblong pupils, and a tail nearly touching the ground. It attains the 

 length of two feet in the body, with a tail of nearly one foot. The coat 

 consists of moderately long rough hairs, which cover completely the 

 woolly under-coating ; the color is a fawn-gray, darkened on the back 

 and shoulders by black-tipped hairs, and becoming nearly pure white 

 below. 



The Spaniards are said to have found this creature domesticated 

 among the natives when they landed on the Antilles ; it is no longer 

 found in the islands, but is common in the woody plains that border the 

 rivers of Guiana, where it lives and hunts in large bands. 



The Maikong, in its habits and behavior, completelv corresponds to 

 the jackal of the Old World, and in captivity soon becomes tame. 



The epithet " Crab-eating " is as old as Buffon and Linneeus, but is 

 somewhat misleading, as the animal by no means confines itself to a crus- 

 tacean diet. Schomburgk describes it as preymg on the smaller rodents, 

 and as being a terrible plunderer of the hen-roosts of the settlers. It is 

 often crossed with the dog by the Indians, and the breed thus produced 

 is highly prized. 



THE RED WOLF. 



The Red or Maned Wolf, Canis jubatus, is less powerfully built than 

 the common wolf, and has longer legs, a narrower muzzle, and a shorter 

 tail. Its color is a clear reddish-brown. This wolf is found in most 

 parts of South America, and is particularly frequent in Brazil, Paraguay, 

 and the Argentine Republic. It is very timid and avoids settled dis- 

 tricts, and hence is little known. Its long legs give to it the power of 

 making very long leaps, by which it overtakes its prey. When walking 

 it has the swinging gait of a Newfoundland dog, and is a good swimmer. 



Gray forms the Red Wolf and Coyote into a separate genus which 

 he calls by the name of Chrysocyon. 



