55 6 THE CARNIVORES 



of their pulling down a tame buffalo. I came across a third case myself in the 

 jungles east of Bawda, and I was curious to see how so large an animal had been 

 destroyed. There were but a few tooth marks about the nose and throat, and some 

 of the pack had evidently attacked the buffalo in front, while others tore it open. 

 This is probably their usual way of killing large animals ; they have been seen to 

 snap at the flanks of a number running." It was stated by Hodgson that wild dogs 

 are in the habit of giving tongue while hunting. This is, however, denied both by 

 Hamilton and Blanford ; but it is affirmed that these animals are in the habit of 

 howling at night. 



There does not appear to be any authenticated instance of the Indian wild dog 

 attacking human beings. In marked contrast to the wolf and the jackal, it is, if not 

 absolutely untamable, exceedingly difficult to render domesticated in any degree ; this 

 of itself being a proof that it has nothing to do with the ancestry of domestic dogs. 

 The young in India are born in the winter, although this is probably not the case 

 in the higher Himalayas and Tibet. The number of cubs in a litter is usually from 

 two to four, but six or more have been observed. In the Himalayas, near Simla, a 

 breeding place was discovered where it appeared that several females bred in company. 

 By many writers the wild dog of the countries to the eastward of 



mm , \TiT'}A 



the Bay of Bengal is regarded as inseparable from the Indian form. 



Mr. Blanford, however, takes the opposite view, and considers that 

 the Malayan wild dog is entitled to rank as a distinct species ( C. rutilans) . It is 

 smaller and slighter in build, and has slenderer limbs than its Indian relative ; 

 while the "brush" is smaller, and the hair of the body is short and harsh, and has 

 no under- fur. There is also stated to be a difference in regard to the relative length. 

 of the flesh-tooth of the upper jaw to the two molars by which it is followed. In 

 color this dog is of a deep ferruginous red above, with the individual hairs scarcely 

 lighter at their roots ; while the under parts of the body are whitish. Mr. Blanford 

 gives the length of the head and body of a young male as thirty-two and one-half 

 inches, and that of the tail twelve inches. This species is found throughout the 

 Malay Peninsula, and also in the islands of Sumatra and Java, while it has also been 

 reported to occur in Borneo. It is also found in Tenasserim, and has been obtained 

 near Moulmein ; but it has yet to be determined whether the wild dog of Upper 

 Burma belongs to this or the preceding species. It may be suggested that in the lat- 

 ter district it will be found that the specimens indicate a more or less complete 

 transition between the two species. 



In concluding our notice of the wild dogs of this group, it may 

 Extinct Species , , . , 



be mentioned that remains of extinct species are found in the cavern 



deposits of France and Germany. These fossil species appear to have been closely 

 allied to the living ones ; and afford one more instance of the derivation of the pres- 

 ent fauna of the East from the ancient fauna of Western Europe. 



THE MANED WOLF (Canis jubatus) 



With the so-called maned wolf a name which is in every respect a misnomer,, 

 since the creature is neither distinctly maned nor a true wolf we come to the first 



