5o6 THE CARNIVORES 



them, by holding out a piece of meat in one hand, and in the other a knife ready to 

 stick 'them. As far as I am aware, there is no other instance in any part of the 

 world of so small a mass of broken land, distant from a continent, possessing so large 

 an aboriginal quadruped peculiar to itself. Their numbers have rapidly decreased ; 

 they are already banished from that half of the island which lies to the eastward of 

 the neck of land between St. Salvador bay and Berkeley sound." These wolves do 

 not associate in packs, are largely diurnal, and are usually silent, except during the 

 breeding season. They burrow in the ground, and prey on geese and penguins, but 

 are now nearly exterminated. 



THE KABERU (Cams simensis) 



The kaberu, or Abyssinian wolf, is a little-known species, taking its Latin name 

 from the district of Simen, or Semyen, in Abyssinia, where the first specimen 

 brought to Europe was obtained. Although of about the same size as the coyote, it 

 has no claim to be regarded as a true wolf ; and may rather be looked upon as an ab- 

 normal kind of jackal, in which the size of the body, and notably that of the jaws, 

 h^s increased, without any corresponding enlargement of the teeth, which are far 

 smaller than in the true wolves. The kaberu, which inhabits mountainous districts, 

 has an extremely long and narrow snout, larger ears than the true wolves, and a 

 thick, bushy tail like that of a jackal. Its general color is a light, reddish brown 

 with a tinge of yellow ; the mouth, chest, under parts, and the front of the lower 

 portions of the legs being whitish. The greater part of the upper surface of the tail 

 is mottled with black, and its end is of that color. 



THE JACKAL (Cam's aureus} 



With the common jackal we come to the first of a group of species of smaller size 

 than the true wolves, with which they are to some extent connected by the one last 

 described. Their bushy tails are relatively shorter than in the wolves, being gener- 

 ally equal to about one-third the length of the head and body ; and their skulls may 

 be distinguished by the smaller size of the flesh-teeth as compared with the molar 

 teeth behind them. As in the case of the wolves, there is some difference of opinion 

 as to the specific identity of the jackals of different countries. The Asiatic jackal is 

 subject to considerable individual variation in point of size ; the length of the head 

 and body varying from two to two and one-half feet. Its general color varies from 

 a pale isabelline to a pale rufous, with a larger or smaller admixture of black on the 

 upper parts. The under parts are paler, and the muzzle, ears, and the outer sides 

 of the limbs more rufous than the rest. The reddish brown hairs of the tail have 

 long black tips, thus forming a distinct black tip to the tail itself. The African 

 variety is of rather larger size, with relatively longer ears ; and the sides of the 

 body are grayer, and the outer surfaces of the limbs less rufous. Occasionally 

 rufous, black, and white varieties of the jackal have been met with ; the latter be- 

 ing true albinos. 



