AKT. 17 EAST AFRICAN" VERTEBRATES LOVERIDGE 15 



Three puppies from near Dodoma were brought in on August 20, and 

 were of the same size as four from Kondoa Irangi, received somewhat 

 earUer the same month. The black pelage at birth gives place to an 

 almost uniform fawn color, on which the black and silvery saddle 

 marking subsequently makes its appearance. Four adults were also 

 trapped at Kondoa Irangi and one of these, as the attendant was 

 cleaning out the cage, made a successful dash for liberty the morning 

 after its arrival. It easily led the chase across the common to the 

 village and away beyond. On two occasions one of the Dodoma 

 adults escaped. Each time I was apprised of this by the fluttering 

 of the birds in their cages and on going out saw the jackal in the 

 moonlight. The first time it ran into the kitchen and sought refuge 

 under a table in the corner. Salimu pulled it out by its tail and 

 carried it snapping wildly to a box in which it was shut until morning. 

 By day a jackal has such a benign and mild expression that one could 

 scarcely credit the difficulty of handling it at night. Their bite 

 commands respect. Nikola was transferring a jackal from one cage 

 to another, wearing thick leather gloves for the purpose; as he pulled 

 the jackal out by its tail there were two quick snaps and Nikola found 

 himself divested of both gloves and the thumb of the left glove 

 snipped off as if b}^ shears ! 



The first escape was achieved by biting through wire netting, the 

 animal forcing its way through and losing much fur in the process; 

 the second time it got out by gnawing a board along the bottom of 

 its cage and squeezing through an aperture 43^ inches in height. 



Their food was chopped meat, varied from time to time with bush 

 fowl; duck they would not take, preferring to starve; nor would they 

 touch cooked mealie meal unless it was mixed with a heavy percent- 

 age of minced meat. About 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning, they gen- 

 erally quarrelled, as I was informed by the sharp yelps and scuffling, 

 but on going to inspect with a lantern I would be met by mildly 

 blinking eyes and most innocent expressions. 



LYCAON PICTUS subspecies 

 HUNTING DOG 



Native names. — Iminzi (Chigogo); Umbwa ya mwitu (Kiswahili). 

 A native "skin" from Msanga near Dodoma was brought to us by 

 a native one day. 



OTOCYON VIRGATUS Miller 



EAST AFRICAN LONG-EARED FOX 



Native name. — Nchenjeje (Chigogo). 



Two foxes now in the collection were caught as adults at Kondoa 

 Irangi. They appeared to subsist on next to nothing and never 

 cleared up their plate except on one occasion when minced boiled 



