The Dhole, or Wild Dog 



familiaris^ var. sumatrensis ; and since this name is 

 earlier than any of the others ^ applied to either the 

 Indian or the Malay race, it must according to 

 modern rules of nomenclature stand for the species. 



In regard to the name " wild dog," commonly 

 applied to these animals. Dr. Blanford has remarked 

 that it is a misnomer, " for in every important detail in 

 which the genus Cyon differs from Canis — in the form 

 of the skull, the dentition, and the number of mammas 

 — domestic dogs agree with the latter and not with 

 the former." The name, it is further suggested, has 

 probably been applied to the members of the present 

 group on account of their hunting in packs, their hand- 

 some appearance, and their courage. It is, however, a 

 translation of the Malay anjing-utan and the Hindustani 

 jangli kutta ; and this we venture to think is its more 

 probable origin. The name " dhole " has been em- 

 ployed by Colonel Hamilton Smith and some other 

 writers, although it is not the name by which these 

 animals are known to the natives of the countries they 

 inhabit. 



These wild dogs are confined to Asia, where their 

 range includes Central Asia as far north as the Altai, 

 Amurland, and the island of Sagalien, while to the south- 

 ward it embraces India, Burma, and the Malay Penin- 

 sula and Islands, with the exception of Celebes and the 

 Philippines. No representative of the group has been 

 found either in the north of China or in Japan. 



The Malay race of the wild dog appears distinguish- 

 able from its Himalayan and Indian representatives by 

 its smaller size and slighter build, the limbs being 

 decidedly more slender. The colour also seems to be 

 a brighter tinge of red, and the tail, of which the tip 

 is black, is stated to form a smaller brush. From 

 Himalayan specimens of the Indian race, the Malay 

 race also differs by the absence ot a woolly under- 



^ A still earliei' name is Cams ja-uanicus, but it is uncertain to what 

 animal it was applied. 



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