CREATURES OF THE WILDERNESS 113 



tiger in that position, the machan should be 

 fully twenty feet from the ground, so that its 

 occupant may take no chances. 



Passing mention has been made of the 

 curious note of the jackal in presence of a 

 tiger. It is very peculiar and is quite different 

 from the ordinary serenade of jackals in their 

 own company. Europeans look upon it as a 

 note of kindly warning to the forest animals 

 that the monarch is approaching and that they 

 had best clear out of his way while there is yet 

 time for escape. The jungle-men know better. 

 They know that, whatever may be the jackal's 

 virtues, kindness of heart is not one of them. 

 It is clearly to the advantage of this humble 

 hanger-on that the tiger should not be baulked 

 of his prey, for when he is gorged the jackal 

 has some chance of feeding on crumbs from 

 the royal table. Yet we are asked to believe 

 that the unselfish, tender-hearted jackal de- 

 liberately does itself out of a meal by warning 

 the small deer that their enemy is near. No ; 

 the " tiger-cry" of the jackal is probably a 

 howl of uneasy terror, which it cannot help 

 any more than tame dogs can help howling 

 when frightened by anything uncanny. It is, 

 indeed, only in moments of fear or pain that 

 our domestic dogs forget their civilised trick of 

 barking and revert to the dismal howl of their 

 wild ancestors. 



