542 MB. w. E. DE wiNTON OTf [-Apr. 18, 



is more rufous tban that of the body. Distinct dark dashes on the 

 lower part of the forearm. On the dorsal surface, or saddle, the fur 

 is bright rufous for the greater part of its length, each hair having a 

 ring of black followed by a ring of buff cind being tipped with black ; 

 these coloured rings form double side-stripes of buff and black 

 bordering the lower edge of the saddle, which are often ill-defined or 

 not observable, the colour of the flanks outwardly being scarcely 

 different from the back, but when the hair is worn the saddle is 

 often reddish. The tail is long and clothed with long hairs, buff at 

 the base, and black for an inch and a half or so at their extremities ; 

 generally there is a distinct white tag, the hairs growing on the 

 last two inches of the tail being sometimes pure white to their 

 bases, in some specimens only a very few white hairs are to be 

 found at the extreme tip. Tail-gland not conspicuous ow^ing to 

 the character of the surrounding fur. Chin black. Ears moderate. 



Usually this Dog has the side-stripes, bordering the lower edge 

 of the saddle, well defined ; but when changing fur or when out of 

 condition these stripes entirely disappear ; this often happens in 

 simply altering the lay of the fur in making up a skin. Possibly 

 also in some districts the species does not develop these stripes to 

 so great an extent as in others. At any rate it is probable that 

 Sundevall had a specimen of this species before him when he 

 described a Jackal from the Transvaal or Zululand, giving it the 

 name of O. adustus. In this description, it is true, no mention is 

 made of any side-stripes, but the Side-striped Jackal occurs in that 

 country and no Jackal ivitliout a saddle-marh is found anyivhere 

 in South Africa. Dr. Noack seems also to have described the 

 same animal as 0. ivunderlicM, but he appears to have entirely 

 overlooked Sundevall's species as he makes no mention of it. 



Dr. Sclater described C. lateralis from a specimen then living in 

 the Society's Gardens, giving the side-stripes as the principal dis- 

 tinguishing characters and giving a name suggestive of this distinc- 

 tion. When this specimen died the skin and skull were acquired by 

 the British Museum, and the skin, which is now before me, has no 

 sign of side-stripes ; the same thing has been shown in other examples 

 which have been received from Nyasaland. jSTormally these latter 

 are particularly well marked. 



The skull of this species is readily distinguished from any other 

 Jackal by its flatness, the line of the forehead running well in front 

 of the orbits and being very little raised above the line of the nose. 

 The nasals are long, extending beyond the maxillary bones ; the 

 squamosal portion of the zygomata is not so much expanded as iu 

 C. mesomelas ; there is no depression in the middle line of the 

 forehead ; and the carnassial teeth are very much smaller than those 

 of either C variegatus or C. mesomelas. 



In several specimens obtained by Mr. Y. J. Jackson at the Eavine 

 Station and JNandi, British East Africa, the skull is much arched, 

 with smooth rounded forehead, quite altering the shape of the profile, 

 but viewed from above the shape of the skull is unaltered. The 

 flat and the rounded skulls are from animals otherwise identical, 



