LYCAON PICTUS. 



1U7 



gives utterance to a shrill sound resembling ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, Zo,— the 

 sounds tending to run one into the other. This observer entertained 

 the opinion that there were two distinct species. This we are convinced 

 is an error ; but the markings of the animal are in no small de.^ree 

 varied and inconstant. 



The animal is said to hunt by scent as well as by sight, but not to 

 possess the habit of burrowing, so common amongst the Canidce. 

 Attempts made to tame it in South Africa seem to have been 

 attended with no success. The individual from which Temminck first 

 described the species was purchased by him in London. 



Several skins and five skidls of this species are preserved in our 

 National Collection, and one of these skins has served our artist for his 

 representation in our Plate XLIV. 



This species attains the size of a tall greyhound, and its limbs are 

 long compared with most species of the family. The head is broad and 

 flat, with a rather short muzzle and large ears. The hairy coat is some- 

 what scanty. 



The colour consists of black, yellowish ochre, grey and white variously 

 disposed. The general ground-colour is an ochraceous grey, but with 

 black markings, so that the body and outer sides of the extremities are 

 blotched and brindled with black intermingled here and there with 

 white spots edged with black, the markings being very irregular. 



The muzzle is black, and a black stripe sometimes, but not always, 

 passes backwards from between the eyes and ears and along the neck. 



The root of the tail is ochraceous, then more or less black, with the 

 terminal portion white or whitish ; it is rather bushy. The lower parts 

 and inner sides of the limbs arc grey or whitish. The ears are said to 

 be sometimes more or less naked ; they are more or less black within, 

 though with some white hairs, while externally they are of an ochre- 

 colour at their root, above which they may or may not be black. In 

 the specimen at the British Museum here figured the fore-limbs have 

 numerous black marks. 



Habitat. Africa, south and east of the Sahara. 



