[ 87 J 



ART. X. — The North American Jackal. — Canis Frustror. By S. W. 



WOODHOUSE, M. D. 



Char. Essent. Hair cinereous, grey, varied with black above. Longer on the 

 vertebral line, legs fulvous. 



Dimensions. — Total length from the tip of the nose including the tail, with the 

 exception of the hair at the tip, two feet seven inches ; trunk of the tail eight and 

 three-tenths inches ; total length of ears four and three-tenths inches ; length of 

 fore leg nine inches ; from the anterior canthus of the eye to the tip of the nose 

 two and seven-tenths inches ; from anterior angle of ear to posterior canthus of the 

 eye two and four-tenths inches ; between the anterior angles of the ears two and 

 five-tenths inches. 



Description. — Hair at base fulvous and woolly, middle of its length white tipped 

 with black; ears erect, pointed at tip, cinnamon color behind and at the base ; inside 

 dirty white, sides paler than the back, belly brownish white, breast brown, chin 

 white, legs cinnamon color ; the nose from the eyes to the tip cinnamon color. 

 Cheeks grey ; space between the ears reddish brown ; tail fulvous below, dark grey 

 above, black at tip, slightly bushy ; iris light brown, lips white tipped with black ; 

 it has three series of setae on the upper lip, above the eyes, and on the sides of the 

 cheeks. 



But the most remarkable difference exists in the skull of this animal, which more 

 closely resembles the Jackal of the Old World, than any known species of wolf. 

 But as Dr. Morton is now engaged on a memoir in which the cranial characteristics 

 of the American wolves will be compared with those of the Canis lupus of Europe, I 

 leave this part of the subject in his hands. 



Habits. — This animal I first saw at Fort Gibson, on the Neosho river. They 

 frequent this place at night in numbers, making their way to a ditch where the 

 offals of the garrison are thrown. Their bark is sharp like a terrier, followed in 

 quick succession, then a prolonged cry much like the hound. 



Four or five of them make as much noise as twice their number of terrier doffs, so 

 that a stranger on hearing them is apt to be deceived as to their number. I have 

 seen them on all parts of the prairie, but they appear to be more abundant near the 

 settlements. 



They prowled frequently about our camp at night, keeping up an incessant 

 barkinsT- 



