THE DINGO 107 



actions of a Dog, and some would claim that our Dogs are descended from 

 Jackals. How this may have come about was shown me by an anecdote 

 told me by the late Mr. W. Rutledge, our leading animal-dealer in 

 Calcutta and a keen practical naturalist. He had discovered the presence 

 of a miserable mangy Jackal in a drain about his house, and kindly threw 

 it some food at times. The creature's health improved with better meals, 

 and it took to entering the verandah, and would at last lie down on a 

 couch there, and, when approached, look up and wag its tail as if asking 

 not to be disturbed in fact, it fairly domesticated itself. 



THE DINGO 



(Cants dingo) 



WHATEVER the Dog may have started from, however, there is no doubt 

 that the Dingo of Australia is a Dog at present ; it closely resembles 

 the pariah or street dogs of the East, and I have seen, in Calcutta, a 

 cross between one of these and a Chinese "Chow" Dog, which any 

 naturalist would have called a Dingo at once. 



The Dingo is a medium-sized animal, about as big as a Fox-hound, 

 but lower on the legs; it has prick ears and a narrow muzzle, and the 

 tail is bushy. There is, however, a less foxy appearance about it than 

 is noticeable in the Wolf or in a large Jackal. The coat is tan, with 

 more or less black ticking on the back; but there is much variety in 

 colour, especially nowadays, when Dingos so often cross with strayed 

 tame Dogs. 



Dingos usually hunt in pairs ; they are very cunning, and exceedingly 

 destructive to sheep, calves, and poultry. Their natural wild prey is 

 Kangaroos, when they can get them, and ordinarily Rats and such 

 small fry. 



They are often domesticated by the Australian blacks, but are not 

 very docile, and often leave their masters, although kindly treated. As 

 most of the Australian beasts are, as is well known, of the marsupial or 

 pouched order, zoologists find a difficulty in believing that the Dingo 



