CATALOGUE. 75 



Mammalia observed in Dukhun " (Proceed. Zool. Soc. 1831, p. 100). 

 " The Wild dog of Dukhun," Colonel Sykes remarks, " is essentially 



distinct from this Canis sumatrensis of Hardwicke These animals 



hunt in packs, and the specimen brought home was found to have the 

 stomach distended with the remains of a Nylghau." 



Captain A. Mackintosh, in his accounts of the tribe of Mahdeo Kolies, 

 inhabiting the valleys on each side of the Syhadry range of mountains 

 in Northern Dukhun, gives an interesting description of a wild dog 

 belonging to this species, which is contained in the accompanying 

 note.* (Madras Journal of Lit. and Sc. V. p. 81.) 



* The animal, termed by us the wild dog, is known to the natives by the name of 

 kollussnah, kollusra, and kollussa.(a) It is common in the .Kotool district, and all 

 along the range of Western Ghauts. It is about the size of a panther, with very 

 powerful fore -quarters, narrow tapering loins, black and pointed muzzle, and small 

 erect ears. The tail is long, and at the extremity there is a bunch of hair several 

 inches in length. The kollussnah is of a darkish red colour, possesses great speed 

 and hunts in packs of five, eight, and fifteen, and even to the number of twenty-five, 

 is extremely active, artful, and cunning in mastering its prey. It is during the 

 night-time they move about in search of food, but should an animal approach near 

 them an hour or two after sunrise, or a short time before sunset, they will attack it ; 

 all animals seem instinctively to dread them. During the daytime they remain 

 quiet in their hiding-places. When the kollussnah discovers an animal worthy of 

 being captured, the circumstance is announced to the pack by a barking whistling 

 noise ; the others are on the alert, advance rapidly and post themselves slyly round 

 the spot, and gradually close in on the animal. Upon seeing one or two of the 

 kollussnahs, he gets frightened, but much more so when, running away at speed, he 

 encounters one of his enemies in whichever direction he attempts to escape. The 

 consequence is, that he stands quite amazed, some of the kollussnahs run in close 

 to him, and shed water on their bushy tails, which they swing about and jerk into 

 his eyes ; he is successively saluted in the same manner, when he approaches them or 

 they run in upon him. The unlucky beast is soon blinded by the peculiar escha- 

 rotic quality of the application, for he begins to stagger, and run round and round, 

 and is now beset by all the kollussnahs, who make a loud barking and snapping 

 noise, while they pull the animal down and tear him to pieces. When few in 

 number, they have been known to gratify their hunger before the poor animal fell 

 down or expired, each of them tearing away a mouthful while the animal remained 

 standing. There are very few instances of their ever attacking the villagers' cattle, 

 but they will kill stray calves if they fall in with them. The Kolies never molest 

 the kollussnah, in fact they are glad to see them in their neighbourhood, being aware 

 of the enmity that exists between them and the tiger, for they kill that animal occa- 

 sionally, and in consequence they are considered by the people as the protectors of 



(a) Note ly Professor Wilson. These terms cannot be quite correct, as the es- 

 sential part of the word is Stvun, the Sanskrit and Mahratta word for ' dog ; ' Jcol 

 or kola, possibly means ' wild.' 



