[S3] 
The Meer-kat 
T HIS little animal is only a dozen 
inches long and a half dozen inches 
high. It digs its home in the sand. 
They dig several homes in a group, like a 
little village. Early each morning the meer- 
kats come out into the sunlight, and sit in a 
row with their fore paws held up, just like 
dogs begging. Thus they enjoy the light 
and air. They make funny little pets. All 
through South Africa the earth is full of their homes. They feed on 
grubs, insects, and smaller animals, and on the roots and bulbs they dig. 
The Vulture-like Guin-ea Fowl 
W OULD you think it—that this is the 
handsomest bird of his kind? His head 
and neck have no feathers, but are cov¬ 
ered with blue skin. Then the feathers of the first 
row around his shoulders are long and narrow, 
and are white with blue margins. The main body 
of his feathers and his tail are black, very closely 
dotted with white spots, although the middle of his 
breast is cobalt-blue. Underneath, the feathers are 
purple spotted with white. So he is quite beautiful, 
even if he has been given the name of a bird of 
prey because, like the vulture’s, his head is bare of 
feathers. 
The Jackal 
T HE jackal lives in very hot countries, and, like the hy-e-na, eats the 
flesh of animals already killed. Both those animals are called 
scav-en-gers, because what is filth to human beings is food to them, 
so even they are of some service in the 
world. At night when the jackals are out 
hunting in packs, like the wolves, they howl 
a great deal, and it sounds very sad and 
frightful. When a jackal is taken while he 
is young, and tamed, he acts like a dog. He 
wags his tail, and fawns on his master, and 
lies down and rolls over. Tame ones eat 
fruit and vegetables, and enjoy them. 
