540 



MR. W. E. DE WINTON ON 



[Apr. 18, 



the only Jackal which has no dark dashes on the front of the 

 fore legs. 



The Black-backed or Silver Jackal has the most extended range 

 of any member of the genus inhabiting Africa, extending from the 

 extreme south of Cape Colony to Abyssinia, and possibly Bongo- 

 land, where Schweinfurth mentions Jackals with black backs ('Heart 

 of Africa' (Engl, transl.) i. p. 237). It has not been recorded from 

 the Mashonaland plateau orNyasaland; and in British East Africa 

 we have no record of it being found farther west than Maehacos, 

 where it occurs in company with 0. lateralis. It seems therefore 

 probable that this species does not rangeinto the higher elevations. 



Fig. 4. 



Skull of Canis mesomelas, f nat. size. (B.M. 69.10.24.7.) 



This species is therefore accompanied by C. lateralis in certain 

 localities in the southern part of its range, and by C. variegatus 

 in the northern. Specimens from south of the Zambesi, judged 

 from the material in the British Museum, are rather larger, and 

 the facial part of the skull appears slightly longer in proportion 

 than those obtained from the north of tliat river ; but whether the 

 difference is sufficient to warrant a subspecies being made of the 

 northern form is not clear, most of the specimens examined of the 

 southern or typical form being deficient in the base of the skull. 

 However, if a name is required for the northern form, Dr. Noack 

 has provided one in his var. schmidti. In writing of this Jackal 

 under the name C. variegatus, Herr Matschie mentions a stripe on 

 the cheeks ; but I cannot think his distinction of the East- African 

 form is based on this character alone, for not only is it too trifling, 

 but quite unreliable, as this dark line under the eyes occurs in some 

 specimens from Cape Colony. The markings of this animal are 

 not always equally well defined, occasional specimens have a very 

 poorly marked saddle. 



The cry of this animal, as observed in captivity, may be 



