THE LIVING WORLD. 
639 
eat. It has been known, when chased by hunting-dogs, to summon its fellows 
to its aid and to disable or kill the dogs. An example of the jackal's cunning 
is furnished by the account of one which, when 
hotly pursued, selected as its place of concealment, 
not the jungle, but the most thickly settled por¬ 
tion of a village. 
The Black-backed Jackal, Duwa, or Cape 
Jackal (Vulpes mesomelas ), is mottled in white 
and black, and renders night hideous by its ear- 
splitting cries. It shares the taste of the natives 
for the fat-tailed sheep, but instead of killing the 
sheep, it bites off its tail. It is very cunning, 
and its devices might serve as a study for those 
who have frequent occasion to extricate them¬ 
selves from difficulties. 
The jackal is harmless, and indeed it is often 
serviceable to the hunter, as a trustworthy indica¬ 
tion of the vicinity of the lion. coyote. 
Jackals have been known to surround a hare 
•concealed in the crevices of a rock, and then to depute some of their number to 
drive it out into the 
ambuscade. After 
having killed it and 
hidden it in the 
bushes, the jackals 
come forth to see 
whether any more 
powerful animal is 
likely to despoil 
them, and during 
this reconnoitering 
they swagger around 
with an assumed 
air of indifference. 
If an enemy is in 
sight, they have 
been known to pick 
up cocoanuts or any 
other convenient 
object and to pre¬ 
tend to carry them 
away as if they 
were the special ob¬ 
ject of their quest. 
If, however, the 
coast is clear, the 
OR*Y wour. J ack “ ls r f UTn t0 J he 
bush and enjoy their 
feast. Packs of jackals have in India been known to station themselves along 
