CANIS. 



near the head of his bed, ahyxna, with 

 several bundles of candles in his mouth. 

 Mr. Bruce immediately struck at him 

 with a long pike, which penetrated com- 

 pletely through him, near his heart. The 

 animal no sooner felt the smarting of 

 the wound, than he appeared animated 

 by the most fierce and desperate ven- 

 geance, and strove actually to climb up 

 the shaft of the pike, to reach his de- 

 stroyer. The servant, however, cleft his 

 head asunder with a battle-axe. Plate 

 VI. fig. 1. 



C. aureus, the jackal. In the warm 

 latitudes of Asia and Africa, these ani- 

 mals abound, and no where more than in 

 Barbary. The jackal is of a light yellow 

 colour, with black shades about the back 

 and legs ; and about the size of a mid- 

 dling dog. In its excursions, which are 

 chiefly during night, it commits promis- 

 cuous ravage among the more defence- 

 less animals, though vegetables are some- 

 times used for food by it. Jackals fre- 

 quently assemble in large droves, or 

 troops, even so numerous as two hun- 

 dred, and hunt the vast herds of deer or 

 antelopes which abound in these regions, 

 sounding the most horrid yells, and pur- 

 suing their prey till it sinks under the 

 exhaustion of fatigue and terror. The 

 feast of the jackals, however, is gene- 

 rally intercepted, or at least delayed, by 

 the appearance of the lion, who, roused 

 by their sounds, and aware that they are 

 preparing a banquet which he may enjoy 

 at his leisure, follows their footsteps. 

 While he gratifies his appetite, these 

 humble and trembling purveyors await at 

 a distance the moment, when the lord of 

 the forest shall have completed his re- 

 past, and they may safely approach, to de- 

 vour the mutilated remains he was unable 

 to dispose of. 



It is supposed by some judicious and 

 sagacious naturalists, that the jackal is 

 the real origin of the dog. In the struc- 

 ture of the short intestine, called the 

 csecum, they both agree, and their in- 

 stinct and manners are extremely similar. 

 They both are fond of the society of man, 

 and approach on being called by their 

 names. The jackall is easily tamed, and 

 shows an attachment to dogs; it fawns 

 on its owner, and exhibits all those indi- 

 cations of joy, sportiveness and grati- 

 tude, n-hich characterize the dog. The 

 jackal and the dog also readily intermix. 

 The wolf and the fox naturally shun 

 maul; ml. T ! e native regions of the wolf, 

 also, are those of extreme cold, which do 

 not suit the dog ; and the construction of 



some of the intestines of the fox, is ex- 

 tremely different from those answering 

 similar purposes in dogs. The different 

 times of gestation, however, in the jackal, 

 and in the dog, appears no slight objec- 

 tion to the theory thus advocated. Plate 

 VI. fig. 3. 



C. vulpes, the fox. This animal is ge- 

 nerally of a yellowish brown colour, with 

 its tail straight, bushy, and tipped with 

 white, from the base of which it emits a 

 rank and fetid odour. The skill of the 

 fox in the construction of its mansion 

 ranks it among the higher order of quad- 

 rupeds. He burrows under firm earth, 

 and often where the roof of his dwelling 

 is prevented from falling in by the wat- 

 tling of the roots of trees. His subter- 

 raneous residence is generally extensive, 

 and he provides to it several avenues, for 

 his convenience or security. Thus, in- 

 stead of being a houseless vagrant, he 

 possesses all the ideas and comforts which 

 attach to a home, and which are justly 

 supposed to imply superior sentiment 

 and intelligence. 



The fox is not unfrequently observed, 

 in fine weather, to quit his retreat, and 

 bask at his full length in the sun. His 

 ravages are reserved for the night, and 

 are generally committed at a distance 

 from his home. He destroys for his food 

 various species of vermin. Poultry and 

 young lambs very frequently fall under 

 his power, where he has secure access 

 to them. The dung of other animals, 

 berries, snails, frogs, and insects, are 

 sometimes taken by him. Of grapes he 

 is proverbially fond, and the vineyards 

 suffer very considerably from his depre- 

 dations. He wastes or destroys far more 

 than he devours, often hiding large quan- 

 taties of his prey in thickets, or beneath 

 the roots of trees. His sagacity to dis- 

 cern his prey and his enemies is extra- 

 ordinary. In Palestine, foxes certainly 

 abound ; but, from the narrative of Sam- 

 son's fire-brands, might be supposed still 

 more abundant. The animals employed 

 by him in that destructive stratagem were 

 probably jackals, which are at least 

 equally abundant, and far more easily 

 accessible. In very northern latitudes, 

 the fox is frequently black, and affords 

 a fur more valued than that of almost 

 any other animal : it has been sometimes 

 sold from Kamtschatka for 400 rubles. 

 The fox has been found sometimes per- 

 fectly white. The arctic fox, found par- 

 ticularly in Nova-Zembla, is one of the 

 hardiest of all animals, unremitted in its 

 pursuit of prey during the severest ri- 



