which had seized upon them. "It is a crafty, lively, and libidinous creature," observed a writer of the last century.
Of Jackals there are many species, both African and Oriental. Mr. de Winton allows the following list of African species[1]:—C. anthus, C. variegatus, C. mesomelas, C. lateralis. C. mesomelas is distinguished by the broad black patch in the middle of the back. These animals do not appear to go in packs as so many Canidae do; they live upon carrion, but also rob hen-roosts, and commit other depredations upon the live stock of farmers. The "Quaha," C. lateralis, is distinguished from the last by its sharp bark, and by the obvious side stripe which has given to it its name. It is curious that it should live in apparent amity with C. mesomelas, since the habits of the two are identical and would lead, one might suppose, to a severe struggle for existence, in which one of the two would disappear. Of Indian Jackals C. aureus is the most familiar type.
Fig. 210.—Wolf. Canis lupus. × ⅛.
The European Wolf, Canis lupus, was once, but is no longer, an inhabitant of the British Islands. Their former prevalence is indicated by many names of towns and villages, such as Ulceby and Usselby in Lincolnshire, the town of Wolverton, and Woolmer Forest. In Saxon times Wolves were very abundant; and even so recently as the reign of Elizabeth they were to be seen on
- ↑ Proc. Zool. Soc. 1899, p. 533.
