308 WANDERINGS OF A 



part of the human occupants at all equal to take their place. 

 The nocturnal, bold and sneaking habits of the jackal and 

 hyena are well known. The last is decidedly far less numerous, 

 and hunts generally singly, whilst the jackal does so in packs. 

 The one appears, however, frequently to accompany the other, 

 for at night, among the discordant yelps of the jackal, may be 

 heard the hoarser bark of the striped hyena. Over South- 

 eastern Europe, Central and Southern Asia, both are more or 

 less plentiful, affecting also the mountainous regions to pretty 

 high altitudes. Whether it be the climate or not, I have ob- 

 served both species attain a larger size on the Himalayas, and 

 are invariably in better bodUy condition than on the plains of 

 India. The exceedingly lean and half-starved aspects of both 

 these animals, as met with in many districts, would seem to 

 indicate that they have often a hard struggle for existence. It 

 is said that the pariah dog assists them to riile graveyards ; 

 at all events, it is no uncommon circumstance to see the re- 

 sults of their depredations. One frightful example came under 

 my notice at Eawul Pindee, where a grave in the cemetery 

 was opened and a body torn to pieces by a troop of jackals. 

 On the occasion in question they had removed several heavy 

 stones placed above the body in order to prevent their attacks, 

 and I noticed that, besides using their fore-paws' in removing 

 the soil, they had evidently lifted many of the stones with 

 their mouths. Withal, however, these sacrilegious deeds are 

 more than compensated for by the vast amount of scavenger- 

 work they accomplish. Although anything in the way of 

 flesh, putrid or otherwise, is acceptable, I am not aware that 

 the jackal betakes to the dung-eating habits of the dog, swine, 

 and even sheep, of India. The two first play an important 

 part in the removal of the excreta in and around many Oriental 

 cities, where no such institution as either a public or private 



