96 



The Living Animals of the World 



ritoto hij A. S. JlwUaMl ,C- So.u. 



CAPE HUNTIXCr-DOa. 



Tliis animal hunts in jacks. It is vevy active nnd inost destructive to large game 

 of many liinds. 



wild (log in West Central Siberia. 

 These dogs killed nearly all the 

 (leer in tlie large forests near Omsk 

 some years ago. Across the Himalaya, 

 there are several species, one of 

 them as far east as Burma; but the 

 most famous are the Eed Dugs of 

 THE Deccan. They frequent both 

 the jungles and the hills ; luit their 

 favourit(- haunt is the uplands of the 

 Indian (rhats. They are larger than 

 a jackal, much stronger, and hunt 

 in packs. They have only ten teeth 

 on each side, instead of ele\en, as 

 in tlie other dogs and foxes. There 

 is no doubt that these fierce hunting- 

 dogs actually take prey from the 

 tiger's jaws, and probalily attack tlie 

 tiger itself. They will beset a tiger at any time, and the latter seems to have learnt from 

 them an instinctive fear of dogs. Not so the le(jpard, which, being able to climb, has nothing 

 to fear even from the "dhole." A coffee-}ilanter, inspecting his grounds, heard a curious noise 

 in the forest bordering his estate. ( Jn going round the corner of a thick liusli, he almost trod 

 on the tftil of a tiger standing with his liack towards him. He silently retreated, but as he did 

 so he saw thiit there was a pack of wild dogs, a few paces in front of the tiger, yelping at him. 

 and making the peculiar noise which had previously attracted his attention. Having procured 

 a rifle, he returned with some of his men to the spot. The tiger was gone, but they disturbed 

 a large pack of wild dogs feeding cm the body of a stag. This, on examination, piroved to 

 have been killed by the tiger, for there were the marks of the teeth in its neck. The dogs 

 had clearly driven the tiger from his prey and appropriated it. The dread of the tiger for 

 these wild dogs was discovered liy the sportsmen of the ZS'ilgiri Hills, and pint to a good 

 use. They used to collect scratch packs and hunt upj tigers in the woods. The tiger, thinking 

 they were the dreaded wild piack, would either leave altogether or scramble into a tree. As 

 tigers never do this ordinarily, it shows how wild dogs get on their nerves. 



.Several South American wild dogs and foxes are included in the series with the wolves 

 and jackals. Among these are Azara's Dog and the I\ACCOOX-DOG. These are commonly 

 called foxes, though they have W(jlf-like skulls. 



The DiMio. 



The only non-marsupial animal of Australia when the continent was discovered was the 

 Wild Dog, or Dixiio. Its oiigin is not known ; but as soon as the settlers' flocks and herds 

 began to increase its ravages were most serious, though doulitless some of the ha\oc with 

 which it was accredited was due in a great measure to runaways from domestication. Anvhow,, 

 in the dingo the settlers found the most formidable enemy with which they had to contend, 

 and vigorous measures were taken to reduce their numbers and minimise their ravages, so 

 that by now they are nearly exterminated in \a,n Diemen's Land and rare on the mainland 

 of Australia. 



It is a fine, liold dog, of considerable size, generally long-coated, of a light tan colour, 

 and with pricked-up ears. It is easily tamed, and some of those kept in this country have 

 made affectionate pets. I'uppies are regularly bred and sold at the Zoological tiardens. The- 

 animal has an elongated, fiat head which is carried high; the fur is soft, and the tail busliv. 

 In the wild state it is very muscular and fierce. 



