COUSIN JACK 187 



the vultures was a circle of jackals, behind the jackals 

 again another ring of black crows, and behind the 

 crows a number of mynahs. So intent were all of 

 them, that they did not see me till I was fairly close ; 

 then the hyenas bolted they are always cowardly 

 brutes but the vultures spread their great wings, 

 hopped forward in their own peculiar ghastly way, 

 and were soon tearing at the carcase. The other 

 circles closed in. A few hours afterwards I came back. 

 The carcase was gone, the bones picked clean, and a 

 few gorged vultures sat humped up on the stunted 

 trees after the fashion of their race. There are trees 

 in the more desert parts of India that look as if they 

 grew on purpose for vultures to perch in. 



The jackal is hunted in India in three ways : with 

 greyhounds, with a bobbery pack (that is one made 

 up of any kind of dog that will hunt, from a grey- 

 hound to a fox-terrier), and with foxhounds. At one 

 time I kept a brace of English greyhounds, but soon 

 parted with them. They are altogether too fast for 

 the jackal, and give but poor sport. The bobbery 

 pack is difficult to control and very unsteady, but 

 they often show a fast gallop in an open country, 

 though as a rule they are not of much use in covert. 

 They do not pack well, and as there are often many 

 jackals together, it is rather difficult to make them 



