THE DINGO QUESTION. 
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A useful “set” for a track is to place an obvious trap in the centre 
of the path and two well hidden traps at each side; the dog’s attention 
will be given to the centre object which he will carefully walk round 
and will step into the side traps. 
What is known as the “water set” is more useful for foxes than 
dingoes, but it can be used for them if the water is fairly deep, for a 
dog will readily walk into shallow water, especially in the hot weather. 
A Jure is placed well out of the dog’s reach from the bank of a stream 
or waterhole, and a trap set under water and covered with moss or 
débris in such a position that it forms a convenient step to reach the 
jure. 
In sandy country the aborigines will be found most useful in 
tracking down and killing dingoes; their instinct for this work is wonder- 
ful, and they frequently walk up to a dog when he is asleep and shoot 
or spear him. 
A dog that is poison and trap shy can sometimes be brought 
to book by placing strychnined fat on the wool of a sheep’s neck and 
allow it out where it is likely to ‘be attacked; in the excitement of the 
chase the dog would not notice the bitterness of the drug until too late. 
The wild dogs seem to be free from any special disease, and 
the probable limit to their numbers is the available food supply; 
though, doubtless, some of the puppies are killed by eagles, owls, and 
snakes, but they should be susceptible to distemper, a common disease 
confined to canines. This is well worth investigation, for if the disease 
could be communicated to the old dogs in the spring they would, in 
turn, give it to the young puppies, and great numbers might be easily 
destroyed. Distemper does not readily affect old dogs, but is deadly to 
young ones. To obtain and maintain in virulent condition the germs of 
this disease would not be an easy matter, and then the common dog type 
may not affect the dingo. An outbreak of distemper occurred some years 
ago among the jackals and wild dogs in Africa, and caused great 
mortality. Valuable dogs can easily be made immune by an injection 
of the protective serum. 
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