170 



Carnivora Fissipedia. 



THE JACKAL. 



The Jackals (Canis-aureus) are gregarious animals, 

 hunting in packs and rarely attacking larger quadrupeds. 

 They hide in the daytime and come out at night with 

 dismal cries to feed on the remnants of the lion's prey, 

 dead carcasses and smaller mammals and poultry. These 

 animals are numerous in India, and Algeria where the 

 French government pays a bounty for their slaughter 

 and as high as thirty thousand are killed in a year; but 

 the fur is hai-sh and of little value ; they interbreed Avith 

 the common dog and can be domesticated. 



The Jackal. 



Tlie piercing, unearthly cry of a pack of Jackals prowl- 

 ing through a village at night is familiar to all who have 

 lived in Orental lands, and is appalling to weak nerves. 



The Wild Jackal emits an offensive odor, is about two 

 feet long, and has a black sharply pointed nose. It is a 

 lively animal and bites quickly and sharply. In color it 

 is a light reddish brown shading deeper on the back than 

 the other parts, and it is characterized by a small white 

 mark on the throat. It has sometimes been called the 

 "Lion's provider," because of the mistaken impression 

 conveyed by some writers that it hunts prey for the King 

 of Beasts. 



