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feathers; and the legs are of a cinei'eous green co- 
lour. 
This bird frequents the fame places, and de- 
lights in the fame fort of food, as the common 
Snipe; but it is more Huggifh in it's motions, and 
feldom attempts a diftant flight : it will fuffer a per- 
fon to come almotl clofe up to it before it will rife ; 
and therefore affords excellent diverfion to the 
fowler. 
JACKALL; the Canis Aureus of Linna!us. 
This animal is vulgarly termed the lion's pro- 
vider, from an opinion that it roufes that animal's 
prey. However, the truth is, that every creature in 
the foreft: is fet in motion by the cries of the Jack- 
all: the lion, and other beafts of rapine, attend 
the chace by a kind of inftinft, and feize thofe ti- 
mid animals that betake themfelves to flight at the 
noife of this nofturnal pack. 
Though the Jackall is one of the mofl: com- 
mon wild beafts of the Eafc, there is fcarcely any 
quadruped lefs known in Europe, or more imper- 
feilly defcribed by naturalifts. It is faid to be of 
the fize of the common fox, and to refemble that 
animal in it's hinder parts, particularly the tail; and 
the wolf in it's fore-parts, efpecially the nofe. It's 
legs are fhorter than thofe of the fox ; and it's co- 
Jour is a bright yellow. 
Thefe animals are natives of all the hot and 
temperate parts of Afia; and are found in Bar- 
bary, and other countries of Africa, as low as the 
Cape of Good Hope. There feems to be feveral 
varieties among them : thofe of the warmer climates 
appear to be the largeft; and their colour partakes 
more of a reddilli brown than of that beautiful yel- 
low by Vv^hich the fmaller Jackalls are diftin- 
guifiied. 
The Jackall feems to be placed between the 
wolf and the dog; and to poflfefs the ferocity of the 
former, and the familiarity of the latter. It's voice 
is a howl mixed with barking, and a lamentation 
refembling that of human diftrefs ; and, in it's pur- 
fuits, it is more noify than the dog, and more vo- 
racious than the v/olf. Jackalls always hunt in 
packs of forty or fifty together ; and unite regularly 
every day, in order to form a combination againft 
the other inhabitants of the foreft. Nothing can 
efcape them; they fatisfy their appetites with the 
fmalleft animals; and yet, when thus united, have 
fufHcient courage to face the largeft. They feem 
to be under little apprehenfion from m.ankind; but 
purfue their game to the very dwellings of the 
natives, without teftifying either attachment or 
fufpicion. They boldly enter ftieep-folds, yards, 
and ftables; and, when they can find nothing bet- 
ter, devour leather harnefling, boots, and Ihoes; 
and frequently carry oif what they have not time 
to confume. They not only attack the living, but 
alfo the dead: they fcratch up new-made graves 
with their feet, and devour the m.oft putrid corpfes ; 
and, in thofe countries where they abound, it is 
abfolutely neceflTary to beat the earth over the 
graves, and to mix it with thorns, in order to pre- 
vent the Jackalls from fcraping it away. 
Thefe creatures always affift- each other, as well 
in the employment of exhumation, as in that of 
the chace. While engaged in this dreary work, 
they encourage each other by a doleful cry, refem- 
bling that of children under caftigation ; and, when 
the body is dug up, they lliare it amicably among 
themfelves. Like all other favage animals, when 
once imbued with human blood, they never can 
refrain from purfuing mankind afterwards; they 
J A C 
watch the dormitories of the dead, mark the pro- 
grefs of armies, and clofe the rear of caravans. In 
fliort, they may be confidered as the vultures of 
the quadruped kinds ; every thing that once pof- 
fefled animal life feems equally grateful to them; 
the moft putrid fubftances are eagerly devoured ; 
and the moft infipid morfels are added to com- 
pleat the repaft. 
The Jackall hides itfelf by day in fome hoIe> 
feldom venturing abroad before the night com- 
mences. When it has fallen on the fcent of any 
larger animal, it gives notice to it's aflfociates by 
a kind of howl, which it repeats as it runs; while 
all the Jackalls within hearing pack to it's affift- 
ance. The chace is fometimes long and warm; 
the creature purfued frequently takes flicker near 
the abodes of men ; and thus the Jackalls are often 
difappointed when they expe6l an immediate 
booty. But man is not the only enemy that op- 
pofes the Jackall's induftry and fuccefs: the lion, 
the tiger, and the panther, whofe appetites are fu- 
perior to their fwiftnefs, attend to it's call, and fol- 
low in filent expectation at a fmall diftance be- 
hind. After the Jackall has perhaps tired down 
it's prey, and is juft about to participate of the 
fruits of it's labour, the lion, or the leopard, comes 
in, fatiates himfelf on the fpoil, and leaves only 
the fcanty remains to the famiflied hunter: hence 
it is not Arrange that the Jackall is extremely vora- 
cious, fince it feldom has a fufficiency; nor that it 
preys on putrid fubftances, fince it is not permitted 
to feaft on what is recently killed. 
Befides thefe enemies, this creature has ftill ano- 
ther to contend with ; namely, the dog, between 
whom and the Jackall there exifts fuch an irrecon- 
cileable antipathy, that they never meet without an 
engagement. The Indian peafants often chace 
Jackalls in the fame manner as the Europeans pur- 
fue foxes ; and have learned by experience to diftin- 
guifti when they have got a lion or a tiger in their 
rear: on fuch occafions they keep their dogs clofe, 
and endeavour to put thefe furious animals to flight 
by their cries. When the lion is difmifl^ed, the 
Jackalls are more eafily vanquiflied ; the dogs over- 
take them in their career; and, by the afllftance of 
their mafters, generally deftroy fome of them. 
Wild as the Jackall naturally is, Dallon informs 
us, that it is capable of being tamed, and is fome- 
times kept among domeftic animals. 
Linnaeus mentions an animal of this kind, about 
the fize of a large cat, which inhabits Surinam. 
The tongue is fringed on the fides; and on the 
cheeks, above the eyes, and under the throat, there 
are numbers of warts. The upper part of the 
body is of a greyifli colour, and the lower white 5 
and there are five toes before, and four behind. 
JACOBINE; the Columba Cypria Cucullata 
of Moore. This fpecies of pigeon, when of the 
genuine breed, is the finalleft of any. It has a 
range of feathers, inverted quite over the hinder 
part of the head, and reaching down on each fide 
of the neck to the Ihoulders of the wings, which 
forms a kind of hood, and gives the bird it's clafll- 
cal name. The colours of the plumage are va- 
rious, being a mixture of red, yellow, blue, black, 
and mottled; but whatever is the general colour, 
the head, tail, and flight, are always white. Some 
varieties are feathered down to the toes, and the 
legs of others are bare. 
JACULATOR; the Chsetodon Roftratus of 
Linn^us. This fifli has an entire tail, nine fpines 
in the dorfal fin, a brown circular fpot refembling 
m 
