52 



muzzles and tips to the tails, and thus altogether appeared heavier 

 animals. These differences were, I imagine, only the effects of hot 

 or cold weather, deep well-shaded forest or brushwood full of 

 thorns burrs, or rough prickly grass, not of race. 



There is a very healthy and upwards of three years' old speci- 

 men now in the People's Park at Madras, sent by me from Burmah } 

 and presented to that Institution. She answers exactly to the 

 following description given by Mr. Hodson at page 147 of Jerdon, 

 except in her height which cannot be more than 17 or 18 inches. 

 This may be accounted for by her sex, and having been very ill as 

 a puppy ; Mr. Hodson, as quoted by Jerdon, says : 



" The Buansu is in size midway between the wolf and the 

 "jackal, being 2J feet long to root of tail, and 21 inches in average 

 " height. It is a slouching, uncompact, long, lank animal, with all 

 " the marks of uncultivation about it, best assimilated in its general 

 " aspect to the jackal, but with something inexpressibly but genu- 

 " inely canine in its physiognomy. It has a broad flat head and 

 " sharp visage, large erect ears, a chest not broad nor deep ; a 

 " shallow compressed barrel, somewhat strained at the loin ; long 

 " heavy limbs ; broad spreading feet, and a very bushy tail of 

 " moderate length, straight, and carried low. It stands rather 

 " lower before than behind, with the neck in the line of the body, 

 " the head unelevated, the nose pointed directly forwards, the fore 

 " limbs straightened, the hind stooping ; the back inclined to arch, 

 " especially over the croup, and the tail pendulous. In action the 

 " tail is slightly raised, but never so high as the horizontal line. 

 " Though the Buansu be not deficient in speed or power of leap- 

 " ing, yet his motions all appear to be heavy, owing to their mea- 

 " sured uniformity. He runs in a lobbing long canter, is unapt at 

 " the double, and upon the whole, is somewhat less agile and speedy 

 " than the jackal, very much so than the fox." 



I have never attempted to give a description of any animal : as 

 I fancied that all men who care for Indian natural history would 

 certainly have Jerdon's book, on which my notes have been grafted, 

 or that they would know enough about any animal I have men- 

 sioned to make one from me unnecessary, but as the wild dog is 

 to very little known, I cannot do better than to depart from my 



