RELATIONSHIP OF SPECIES. 447 



has walk and attitudes so different to the others that it reminds 

 one strongly of Gallas, or even Euplocamus, although I do not 

 suggest any relationship to these genera. F. pileatus, by the 

 way, would seem to correspond from descriptions to Hume's 

 Ortygomis pondiceriana, but as I have not seen this latter I 

 cannot say more than that it would seem worth while to investi- 

 gate this. Nieholls and Eglington * state that F. pileatus is 

 somewhat suggestive of the French Ked-legged Partridge. This 

 may mean little or much, but excepting a bright coloration and 

 red legs, I could see no resemblance, and one has only to handle 

 the two birds to note the wide difference in their form. 



I unfortunately had only opportunities of becoming acquainted 

 with a few forms, but from what I saw of these, it appeared 

 likely that three genera might be formed ; while to combine in 

 one all these highly divergent types would appear to me to be 

 very inaccurate. Without, however, seeing the birds under 

 natural surroundings and handling them in the flesh, I cannot 

 see how they could be correctly classified, and it is worth noting 

 that those naturalists who had this advantage classed them as 

 different genera. 



To turn to quadrupeds. Some years ago I procured, while 

 in the interior of Africa, a pair of Hunting Dogs (Lycaon pictas). 

 I had thus every opportunity of becoming familiar with the 

 peculiarities of this species. Lycaon was generally held, it 

 seemed to me, on very flimsy evidence, to be one of the most 

 aberrant of the Canidce. These differences are, I believe, the 

 loss of one (functionless) toe, a somewhat aberrant coloration, 

 and a slight dental dissimilarity. 



On reading an account of the Indian Dhole (Cuon dukkunensis) , 

 it struck me very forcibly that the account of the habits of one 

 species would equally well fit the other. This seemed so curious 

 that I sought for further evidence to strengthen my suspicion of 

 their closer relationship. 



The Dhole was then generally included amongst the Canidce, 

 although it had lost the last lower molar (a small useless tooth, 

 by the way), and this was not considered (probably rightly, as 

 far as this feature was concerned) a sufficient reason for sepa- 

 rating this species from the typical dogs. It therefore appeared 



* ' The Sportsman in South Africa,' p. 103. 



