i4o THE INDIAN FAUNA 



under-fur, is long ; and the tail, which is black, and in some cases whitish at the 

 tip, ends in a long-haired brush. The colour, which varies much, is generally rusty 

 red, but sometimes rusty grey, or even light greyish brown above, and lighter 

 below. In the Indian peninsula, this wild dog is a forest-animal, but in the valley 

 of the lower Indus and Tibet, where there are no forests, it lives in open country. 

 The total length is 45 inches including the tail of 8 inches, but excluding the long 

 brush at the end, which measures another 6| inches. Although it may sometimes 

 hunt at night, the Indian wild dog is mainly diurnal in its habits ; and like other 

 dogs feeds on carcases and sometimes on vegetable substances, one of these animals 

 in captivity having been in the habit of eating grass and leaves of different kinds, 

 not, as in the case with domesticated dogs, on account of being ill, but apparently 

 with full enjoyment. 



The Indian wild dog hunts in packs, generally from six to twelve in number, 

 but sometimes as many as twenty. In India it preys on deer, antelopes, and 

 wild boars, but in Tibet seems to prefer wild sheep and ibex. As it avoids the 

 neighbourhood of man it seldom attacks domesticated animals, although it now and 

 then kills sheep, goats, and cattle, and in three instances these animals have been 

 known to bring down a tame buffalo. The wild dogs, or dholes, represent the sub- 

 genus, or genus, Cyon. 



The Indian fox (Canis benqalensis), ranging from the foot of the 

 Indian Fox. . _. 1. . , a /> & & 



Himalaya to Cape Comorin, is common everywhere, except in the 



forests. It is not known in Ceylon or Burma, nor is it found east of Assam or 

 west of Sind and the Punjab. In size it is small, measuring only about 20 inches 

 long, with a tail of about 14 inches. In colour it is reddish grey above (changing to 

 silvery grey or rusty red according to the season), speckled with white. The sides 

 are much greyer than the back ; the chin and throat are white ; and the lower- 

 parts pale reddish yellow or buff, becoming rufous towards the hind-legs. The 

 ears are grey outside, and white inside, and the tail is more or less reddish above, 

 with (unlike that of other Indian foxes) a black tip. 



The Indian fox, which feeds chiefly on rats, land-crabs, grasshoppers, and 

 beetles, has been observed to catch quails, and often kills young birds and steals 

 eggs. It is apparently fond of lizards, and habitually eats fruits as well as the 

 buds and sprigs of certain plants. Usually it digs its burrow in treeless plains, 

 sometimes under a thorn bush. In parts exposed to floods during the rainy season 

 it chooses sloping banks near water or other elevated ground. Each burrow has 

 several apertures, some ending in the ground, others leading to a chamber two or 

 three feet down. 



Himalayan Of the bears, the Kashmir race of the brown bear ( Ursus arctus 



Black Bear, isabellinus) inhabits parts of the Himalaya but not the true Indian 

 area. On the other hand, the Himalayan black bear (U. torquatus) must be 

 regarded as an Indian animal. This bear is spread over the whole wooded 

 zone of the Himalaya, ranging from Afghanistan and Baluchistan, the Khirthar 

 Mountains, and the border of Sind, as far west as the Persian boundary, and eastward 

 to the mountains of Assam, and south (although rarely) as far as the Mergui 

 Islands. It also occurs in Sze-chuan, southern China, Hainan, and Formosa. This 

 baar is specially characterised by the white gorget or collar on the chest. The 



