322 HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS. 



begin the chase. The Lion, the Panther, and other 

 beasts of p'rey that do not follow by the scent, take 

 advantge of the general consternation, and follow 

 in silence till the Jackals have hunted down their 

 prey : they then devour the fruits of their labours, 

 and leave them only the remains of the spoil; 

 whence the Jackal has been vulgarly called the 

 Lion 's Provider, as if those two animals acted in 

 concert, and had formed a plan for their mutual 

 support. 



The Jackal frequently pursues the Gazelle; and 

 is so bold as to follow it even into the midst of a 

 town or village, whither that timid animal fre- 

 quently flies for protection, and by that means 

 sometimes escapes. 



Sparrman's description of those he saw at the 

 Cape differs materially from the accounts we have 

 been able to collect from other authors. He says 

 they are about three feet in length, and their tails 

 little more than a foot long: the predominant 

 colour is a reddish yellow; the legs are of a pale 

 gold colour; under the belly, and on the inside of 

 the legs, the colour inclines to white ; the nose and 

 ears are of a bright red; the head, neck, and back 

 are grey; the tail is partly grey, and partly of an 

 umber colour, and black at the tip. He says it 

 resembles the European Fox in form, manners, and 

 disposition ; and is not known to assemble in packs 

 for the purpose of hunting; neither is its voracity 

 equal to that ascribed to it by other naturalists. It 

 is probable it may have been confounded with the 

 Wild Dog, which is common at the Cape, and 

 hunts its prey in packs. It is very fierce and mis- 

 chievous, and very destructive to the flocks of 

 Sheep and Goats in those parts. There are two 



