72 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



course him, shoot him, bait him, entrap him, and skin 

 him; and yet he is, without exception, the most useful lit- 

 tle wretch in Hindoostan. Without him, the kite, and the 

 argeela, in all probability that horrid scourge, the plague, 

 would, before now, have paid us a visit. 



The night was a clear twilight, and taking up our guns, 

 we left the budjrow at ten o'clock, and took up a position 

 behind some felled timber, which lay on an open common, 

 between the river and a vast track of woodland in front. 



We waited in silence and suspense for nearly an hour, 

 though the spirit of locomotion was evidently stirring 

 amongst the quadrupeds of the forest. First a few solitary 

 howls were heard from the distant jungle; then the yelp- 

 ing became louder and louder; and finally settled into one 

 general chorus: 



" 'Twas uproar all, 

 From Niger eastward, to the affrighted Nile." 



This dreary discord, which nightly disturbs the Indian 

 woods, is so wild and melancholy, that it is not by any 

 means agreeable to a stranger. Louder and louder grew 

 the yells of the jackals, — and the long whining moan of 

 the hyaena on the right, left, and to the front; they seemed 

 to encompass us; we cocked both barrels, kneltdown, and 

 prepared for action. On reaching the skirt of the jungle, 

 the different packs appeared to separate in various direc- 

 tions; and a troop of more than fifty made directly for our 

 ambuscade, open-mouthed, and yelling like a legion of 

 devils. It was a moment of delightful and thrilling sus- 

 pense; we could not see the approaching enemy, but we 

 could hear the hoarse barks of the old, and the shrill tre- 

 ble of the young ones, coming down upon us like the 

 wind. They were evidently on the scent of something — 

 whether of ourselves, or otherwise, we could not guess; 

 but we rested our guns over the trunk of a tamarind tree, 

 and made ready to dispute the passage. In a second we 

 could descry the dusky figures of the jackals, galloping 

 towards us through the gloom; they drew nearer and 

 nearer — three were a-head, the rest in a compact body 

 behind — their noses to the ground, and their pace a long 

 slouching gallop. " A little nearer yet," said I. " Fire!" 

 Four barrels flashed and thundered through the darkness 

 in a sharp and sudden volley: — the yells were hushed in a 

 moment on every side; and we sallied from our ambush 

 to return a list of the killed and wounded. 



One jackal lay struggling upon the ground, and soon 

 gave up the ghost; — another lay motionless a few yards 

 off, apparently quite dead; but when I went to pick him 

 up, the cunning brute gave a desperate gripe at my 

 leg. Luckily for me, he seized the gun-barrel, and the 



deep mark of his fangs will remain impressed on it till it 

 ceases to be a gun-barrel. 



From the dark forests around, the wildyellingsof the ani- 

 mals on all sides, and the lonely solitude of the hour, 

 jackal-shooting, by twilight, is not without its charms. 



Shikaree. 



SHEEP KILLED BY CATS. 



The last Lancaster Pa. Examiner says: — "Incredible 

 as this may sound, we have good authority for saying the 

 deed has actually been perpetrated in this county. Seve- 

 ral cats of the common species, with their progeny, have 

 for three or four years past made an old stone quarry in 

 Martic township their abiding place, and in that time, it 

 would seem, have relapsed to the wild state, and ac- 

 quired the ferocious and predatory habits natural to their 

 tribe. A short time ago some of them were seen in pur- 

 suit of a full-grown sheep belonging to the flock of Mr. 

 Martin Herr, of that vicinity. They soon overtook it, 

 dragged it to the ground, and before the person who wit- 

 nessed the scene could reach the spot, they succeeded in 

 so lacerating the poor animal's throat, that it bled to death 

 in a short time. It required considerable exertion to 

 drive them off. A dog, subsequently sent in pursuit of 

 them, caught one, but would probably have been himself 

 worsted in the conflict that ensued, had not the owner 

 come to his rescue. It is said they also pursued a small 

 boy some time ago, and followed him a considerable dis- 

 tance, as is now supposed, with deadly intent." 



RECIPE TO CURE THE MANGE IN DOGS. 



Take 7 parts flower of sulphur, 



2 do. carbonate of ammonia, 

 1 do. sulphate of copper. 



Pulverize the two latter ingredients to a fine powder, 

 and mix the whole together with hog's lard, to the consist- 

 ency of soft paste. The dog should be rubbed well with 

 this over all the parts affected with the mange, and repeat- 

 ed on the third day. Once rubbing will generally suffice; 

 but a second application of the ointment will certainly ef- 

 fect a cure. D. 



