NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 
in a bag, and taken to the haunts of jackals. 
They are then taken up one at a time with a 
pair of forceps, or some other contrivance, and 
singed to destroy all human smell or scent. They 
are then placed under a bush where the sun 
cannot melt them. This plan frequently fails, 
for the jackal often detects the human scent left 
upon the ground by the feet of the placer of the 
poisoned bait. A better plan would be to 
remain mounted on a horse, and drop the 
prepared bait without dismounting, after care- 
fully singeing it. If in addition a lump of de- 
caying meat were trailed along the track taken 
by the rider, a jackal, picking up the scent, 
would follow it to the places where poisoned 
bait was lying. 
The use-of poison in this way at times does much 
mischief, for the smaller carnivorous animals and 
some useful birds eat the poisoned bait and perish. 
Some of the species of small carnivorous animals 
do a considerable amount of service to man, for 
their chief diet consists of rats, mice, and noxious in- 
sects. The Secretary Bird frequently falls a victim to 
the poisoned bait laid for jackals ; and all observers 
of the habits of this bird cannot but admit that it 
fulfils an important mission in the economy of 
nature, and is of much economic value to man. On 
reference to the back numbers of the various South 
African agricultural journals, there may be found 
an abundance of writings on the destructiveness of 
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