508 CARNIVORES. 



ever they approached. One of these tame jackals would answer to its name, 

 " Mbulu," and was remarkable for the cleanliness of its habits, being particularly- 

 averse to getting its feet wetted by rain, seeking during showers the shelter of the 

 huts. As a rule, it never sat down on its haunches after the manner of a dog, 

 but would lie at full length, with its nose resting between its fore-paws, and would 

 generally select a sunny spot, where it lay blinking in tlie sunlight. 



The Dixgo {Canis dingo). 



Were it not for the fact that Australia has so few native Mammals, which do 

 not belong to the Marsupial group, the dingo would unhesitatingly have been 

 regarded as an aboriginal inhabitant of the country where it is found ; in wliich 

 ■case it would rank as what we may call a natural species. The iinproljabilitj- of 

 Australia possessing a native placental mammal of such large size as the dingo is, 

 however, so great as to induce the belief that the animal was introduced by man, 

 and hence that it originated from some of the dogs of Asia. This supposed 

 introduction must, however, have taken place at so early a date that there has been 

 considerable hesitation among some zoologists in admitting any such origin ; and 

 certainly the recent arguments in favour of its being an indigenous species have 

 very great weight. Be, however, its origin wdiat it may, there can be no doubt 

 that the dingo is the only true dog now found in a wild state. 



The dingo is an animal of smaller size than a wolf, with moderately tall legs, 

 a long and somewhat bushy tail, a broad and sliort muzzle, and well-developed ears. 

 In regard to colour. Prof. Mivart remarks that " the dingo varies in its coloration 

 from red to black. There is a greyish under-fur, but, save in the black variety, 

 the long hairs are generally yellow or whitish. The top of the head and dorsal 

 region generally are of a darker reddish yellow, often intermixed with l^lack. The 

 under-parts are paler and may be whitish. The end of the tail is very often white, 

 as are frequently the feet, and sometimes the muzzle, though this is also sometimes 

 black. The animal may be of a uniformly light reddish or yellowish brown, save 

 that it is paler beneath, on the outside of the fore-legs, below the elbow, as well as 

 ■on the inner side of the limbs and on the cheeks." 



The dingo is found in wooded districts throughout Australia, and in many 

 ■such situations is extremely numerous ; although the Government reward for its 

 ■destruction has in other parts led to a considerable diminution in its numbers. 

 It is a terrible foe to sheep, killing and mangling a far greater number than it 

 •eats ; and it is equally destructive to poultry. On accoiint of these depredations, 

 the colonists wage a war of extermination against it, large numbers being poisoned 

 with strychnine. 



In mode of life and habits Brehm compares the dingo to tlie 

 fox ratlier tlian tlie wolf. It is shv and retirintr, rareh' .seen durincj 

 the daytime, and pursuing its work of devastation during the night. It is but 

 seldom found in large numbers together, parties of from five to six individuals 

 — generally consisting of a mother and her cubs — being the most common. 

 Occasionally, however, troops of from eighty to one hundred individuals have 

 been seen. Each family is stated to have a strictly defined area, beyond which 



