JACKALS, ETC. 269 



long as heaps of offal and garbage lay about in all 

 the streets, and the cavernous recesses of drainage- 

 culverts provided convenient lurking-places, the 

 town was a perfect paradise for such animals, and a 

 great number of jackals were permanent inhabitants 

 of it, but now during a great part of the year few 

 are to be seen or heard save in the outskirts of the 

 town proper or in the suburbs. Even at present, 

 however, when the monsoon-rains have been 

 sufficient to flood the surrounding country to any 

 considerable extent, troops of them come in during 

 the latter part of summer and the beginning of 

 autumn. At this time they often take up their 

 quarters beneath houses in which all the iron- 

 gratings over the openings of the sub -structure of 

 the basement are not in good repair. In such cir- 

 cumstances their presence can be readily explained, 

 and excites no special notice, but at other times of 

 year, and particularly when the uninvited guests 

 are solitary individuals, this is not the case, as there 

 is a widely diffused belief that when a solitary jackal 

 becomes unwontedly tame he is usually suffering 

 from an attack of rabies. It is by no means easy 

 to dislodge them after they have once established 

 themselves beneath a house, as it is necessary to 

 be quite certain that none of them are in residence 

 at the time at which measures are taken to close 

 the openings leading to their retreats. It would 

 be easy enough to imprison and starve them to 



