MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 311 



distance, for a short while, after which the dog returned to the water, and the 

 Jack dragged himself off. Just about this time B=— came up and said his dogs 

 had run a Jack, which doubtless was the one in the water. The day had been 

 very hot, and the evening was most oppressive,whichmore than accounts for the 

 dogs being too done up to polish off the Jack. What appeared to me so curious 

 was the behaviour of the first Jack, for there he was, regardless of everything, 

 within a few yards of a particularly big greyhound, apparently fearless, and 

 returning to the charge after having been fired at. Probably instinct told him 

 the dog was too done up to do him injury. To me it seemed he was trying 

 to distract attention from his companion, who was recouping himself in the 

 water, and whose whereabouts, up to this, had not been discovered. 



With regard to this peculiar cry I have heard it said that Jackals make 

 use of this weird call when they are mad, toothless, old, decrepit, etc., but I 

 have never heard any really satisfactory explanation. This is the only 

 occasion I have ever been able to identify a Jackal as the author of the cry. 

 From the surrounding circumstances I should attribute its use, in this 

 instance, to fear, excitement, annoyance at, or hatred of, the dog, or possibly 

 as a warning cry to other Jacks of danger, or to summon them to the assist- 

 ance of a companion in distress. Should any member of the Society be able 

 to throw any light on the use of this weird and hideous cry, I should like 

 very much to be enlightened, as I have long wished for an explanation. 



R. M. BETHAM, Captain, 



8th Bombay Infantry. 



Camp Baroda, 8th June, 1897. 



In vol. 8, page 438, Mr. F. A. Hill gave an interesting account of his 

 investigations into the meaning of the expression, Kol-Bhalu, as applied 

 by natives in Gruzerat, the Konkan, and in Kanara to old Jackals which 

 give utterance to this peculiar cry. His experiences coincided with those of 

 Capt. Betham in a remarkable manner. He said : — 



On one occasion, in the evening, whilst returning to my camp, I saw a Jackal at a short 

 distance off, and having dogs with me I set them after him ; but, to my astonishment 

 the Jackal made no great efforts to escape, but ran into a small bush a few yards away, 

 and as soon as the dogs came up, the Kol-Bhalu cry was uttered; the dogs stopped, and after 

 sniffing round the bush for a short time came back to me. I never saw these dogs behave in 

 this maimer before, as they had always been keen in attacking Jackals and had killed many. 

 I can form no reason why this Jackal, which, from the cry uttered, must be called a Kol- 

 Bhalu, was left in peace. 



[It is quite possible that the Jackals which utter this curious cry give off 

 some peculiar smell, indicating the existence of mange. It is also well known 

 that dogs have an instinctive dread of this disease, and will carefully avoid 

 animals which are suffering from it. — Editor,] 



