THE DOG FAMILY.--WOLVES--JACKALS--FOXES, ETC.
THE WOLF--Historical Account--Geographical
Distribution--Characteristics--Habits--Destructiveness--Tame
Wolves--Varieties of the Wolf--THE PRAIRIE WOLF--THE RED WOLF--THE
JACKAL--Its Character--Habits--“Jackal’s Horn”--Occurrence--THE
BLACK-BACKED JACKAL--THE SENEGAL JACKAL--THE AGUARA--THE COMMON
FOX--Characters distinguishing it from the true Dogs--Its
Habits--Cunning--Occurrence--THE ARCTIC FOX--Its Supposed Change of
Colour according to Season--Its Habits--The Value of its Skin--THE
FENNEC--THE LONG-EARED FOX--Why made a Distinct Genus--THE RACOON
DOG--THE HYÆNA DOG--Its Character and Habits.
THE WOLF.[122]
We have considered all the most important “beasts of prey,” with two
exceptions, under the Cat family, to which they belong. Two important
ravagers still remain--the Bear, of which we shall speak by-and-bye,
and the Wolf, whose turn has now come. Of the great Cats, much good
is often spoken. Notwithstanding their cruelty and bloodthirstiness,
they are handsome, strong, and usually courageous: each one hunts
his prey for himself, and when he has satisfied his appetite, leaves
the remainder to inferior beasts, disdaining, unless when reduced by
starvation, to touch any but fresh meat. The Bear, too, often has a
word said for him: his curious, half-good-natured look, his semi-human
waddle, the tricks he is capable of learning, all combine to make him
seem not so very objectionable a beast after all. But who ever heard
any good said of a Wolf? There have, indeed, been a few instances of
Wolves in captivity who have shown much affection and fidelity to their
masters; but, under ordinary circumstances, cruel, cowardly, dastardly,
greedy, pitiless, are the adjectives applied to him.
The Wolf has a place in history as venerable as that of the Lion,
and he was the dread of the shepherd four thousand years ago. A
very old Sheep-master, addressing his sons on his death-bed--these
sons being, eleven out of twelve of them, shepherds--said of the
youngest:--“Benjamin shall ravin as a Wolf: in the morning he shall
devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.”
Homer also, in his immortal “Iliad,” frequently brings in the Wolf,
giving with a few master-touches a vivid picture of the hated brute’s
habits:--
“Sudden as hungry Wolves the Kids purloin,
Or Lambs, which haply some unheeding swain
Hath left to roam at large the mountains wild;
They, seeing, snatch them from beside the dams,
And rend incontinent the feeble prey.”
----“As Wolves that gorge
The prey yet panting, terrible in force,
When on the mountains wild they have devour’d
An antler’d Stag new-slain, with bloody jaws
Troop all at once to some clear fountain, there
To lap with slender tongues the brimming wave;
No fears have they, but at their ease eject
From full maws flatulent the clotted gore.”
The ancient Greeks and Romans had a very curious superstition about the
Wolf. They believed that if a man and a Wolf met, and the beast saw his
human enemy before the latter caught sight of him, the man became dumb.
Hence the Greek proverb, λύκον ἰδεῖν, “to see a Wolf,” that is, to be
struck dumb. Virgil expresses the same notion in his “Bucolics”--
“Nunc oblita mihi tot carmina: vox quoque Mœrim
Jam fugit ipsa: lupi Mœrim videre priores.”[123]
There are many ancient proverbs of which the Wolf is the theme; one is
often used now, “_lupus in fabula_,” used in much the same sense as
“Talk of the Devil.” Then there is “_ovem lupo committere_,” equivalent
to our “set the Fox to watch the Geese”; “_hac urget lupus, hac canis
angit_,” of much the same significance as “a Donkey between two bundles
of hay”; and many others.
We have said that the Wolf is everywhere detested; there is an
historical exception to this. He was held in great veneration and even
worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, who often embalmed his body, and
one of whose cities, Lycopolis (the modern Siout), was named after him.
The Common Wolf is still very abundant in many parts of Europe, being
found in Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Eastern Germany, Poland, Russia,
Sweden, Norway, and Lapland. In Switzerland they are now rare, and in
the remainder of the Continent extinct.
It is very curious to think that such a beast as the Wolf should now
flourish in a neighbouring country like France, as we have quite
forgotten the time since any plague of the sort existed in England. And
yet it is barely two centuries since they were finally got rid of, and
in early times they were quite common over a great part of the island,
and, of course, did an immense amount of damage. One Saxon king, Edgar,
“applied himself to their extirpation in earnest, enlisting English
criminals in the service, by commuting the punishment awarded for their
crimes to the delivery of a certain number of Wolves’ tongues, and
liberating the Welsh from the payment of the tax of gold and silver,
on condition of an annual tribute of three hundred Wolves. But the
vast wild tracks and deep forests of ancient Britain were holds too
strong even for his vigorous measures. What the number and consequent
danger had been may be imagined from the necessity that existed, in
the previous reign of Athelstan (A.D. 925), for a refuge against their
attacks. Accordingly, a retreat was built at Flixton in Lancashire, to
save travellers from being devoured by these gaunt hunters. The Saxon
name for the month of January, ‘Wulf-moneth,’ in which dreary season
hunger probably made the Wolves more desperate, and the term for an
outlaw, ‘Wolfshead,’ implying that he might be killed with as much
impunity as a Wolf, also indicate the numbers of these destructive
beasts, and the hatred and terror which they inspired.
“That Edgar failed in his attempts at extirpation is manifest from a
_mandamus_ of Edward I., to all bailiffs &c., to give their assistance
to his faithful and beloved Peter Corbet, whom the king had enjoined to
take and destroy Wolves ... in all forests and parks and other places
in the counties of Gloucester, Worcester, Hereford, and Salop, where
they could be found.... Even so late as 1577, the flocks of Scotland
appear to have suffered from the ravages of Wolves, which do not seem
to have been rooted out of that portion of the kingdom till about the
year 1680, when Sir Ewen Cameron’s hand laid the last Wolf low. In
Ireland, Wolves must have lingered as late as the year 1710; about
which time the last presentment for killing them in the county of Cork
was made.”
The Wolf is about the size of a large Shepherd’s Dog, measuring some
five feet from snout to tip of tail: of this length about twenty
inches are taken up by the tail. The height at the shoulders is about
thirty-two inches. The skin is of a dark yellowish-grey colour, or
sometimes almost black; the hair is long and coarse in the northern
varieties, which have to sustain existence through a long, cold winter,
and shorter in the southern kinds, which enjoy a warmer climate. There
is also a good deal of variation in colour, according to the country
from which the animal comes.
The muzzle has much the same shape as that of many Shepherd’s Dogs,
but the ears are very upright and pointed, and the eyes are set
obliquely; in this respect the difference between a Wolf and a Dog is
very striking--the obliquity of the eye in the former gives him a most
sinister expression. The pupil of the eye is round. The bushy tail,
too, is not curled up like a Dog’s, but held down, almost between the
hind legs. But perhaps the most striking difference from the Dog is in
the voice; the Wolf never barks--that is entirely a civilised habit:
even Dogs allowed to become wild lose it--but howls in a horrible and
ghastly manner.
The Wolf usually lives in solitary places in mountains; but in Spain he
is said sometimes to make his lair in corn-fields, in close proximity
to inhabited dwellings. Here he lives with his wife and family, usually
caché during the day, and issuing forth at night to take his prey.
During the warmer periods of the year Wolves, as a rule, hunt each one
for himself, but in the winter they often unite into great packs, and
pursue their prey over the snow at a rapid pace and with indomitable
perseverance. Swift and untiring must be the animal which, on an open
plain, can escape from them; even the Horse, perfectly constructed as
he is for rapid running, is almost certain to succumb, unless he can
reach a village before his pace begins to flag. They never spring upon
an animal from an ambush--the nearest approach ever made to such a mode
of attack being their practice of attacking sheepfolds by leaping into
the midst of the flock and killing right and left; when they reach
their prey, too, the first onslaught is made with the teeth, and never
by a blow of the paw. Thus, a Wolf’s attack--like that of all members
of the genus Canis--is entirely different from a Cat’s. The Cat lies in
ambush all alone, springs upon the passing prey, which, if he misses
he scarcely ever pursues, and kills by a blow of the paw. The Dog and
Wolf attack openly, sometimes alone, but oftener in company, pursue
their prey with unflagging energy until it falls a victim, and give the
death-wound at once with their teeth. To shepherds the Wolf is, and
has been from the earliest times, a most unmitigated curse. A single
Wolf will leap the wall of a sheepfold and murder perhaps a quarter
or a third of the flock before his lust of slaughter is satisfied. Of
course, he cannot eat more than one, or part of one, and the others he
slays from wanton cruelty. Mutton is naturally his standing dish, as it
can be procured, if at all, in abundance, and with comparatively little
difficulty; but he is not at all particular, and will eat Deer, Goats,
Birds, and even Reptiles. But his favourite meat, curious to relate,
is _Dog_, and there are many instances related of the eagerness and
recklessness shown by Wolves to obtain this cannibal feast. “Wolves
have been known to carry off a Pointer from a sledge going at full
gallop. The animal leaps with a single bound amongst the three or four
persons in the vehicle, who remain stupefied at so much audacity,
seizes his innocent victim, and plunges again into the forest. The
whole is done in less time than it takes to tell. Another time, it is
a young Newfoundland, which his master, travelling on horseback, has
placed before him, on the pommel of his large saddle; the Wolf sees
him, leaps upon and seizes him, and carries him off without touching
man or horse.”[124]
If the Wolf confined himself to Sheep and Dogs, matters would be bad,
indeed, but still endurable; unfortunately, however, this horrible
savage likes human flesh just as well as “flesh of muttons, beefs,
or goats.” A single Wolf hardly ever dares attack a man, for he is
essentially a cowardly animal, but a child may be now and then carried
off, and a man or a body of men may be attacked by an immense troop
of Wolves, and then, unless they can get to a village or some other
shelter, their fate is sealed. They may kill the Wolves by dozens,
expend all their ammunition, making every shot tell, fell the howling
monsters till their swords are hacked like Falstaff’s, but it is all
of no avail: each falling Wolf is replaced by a fresh one hungrier
and more vigorous than himself, and the end, unless succour come, can
only be death by the teeth and a grave in the maw of perhaps hundreds
of Wolves. It is related that, in 1812, twenty-four French soldiers
were attacked by Wolves, and after a hard fight, were all slain and
devoured; their comrades found only the remains of their arms and
uniforms, together with a few bones, and the bodies of two or three
hundred Wolves who had fallen in the unequal struggle, only to add to
their comrades’ banquet.
[Illustration: COMMON WOLF.]
The destruction wrought by these animals in countries where they
abound is very great. “In 1823, in Livonia, a declaration made to the
authorities stated, as having been carried off by Wolves, 15,182 Sheep;
1,807 Oxen; 1,841 Horses; 3,270 Goats; 4,190 Pigs; 703 Dogs; and 1,873
Fowls and Geese.”
The Wolf, savage though he be, is quite tamable; he has often shown
great devotion to his master, and has, in fact, behaved in every
respect like an affectionate Dog, a very interesting fact, as bearing
upon the evolution of Dogs from wild _Canidæ_.
The most remarkable instance of this with which we have met is the
following, which shows the Wolf to be--what one would never suspect him
to be--capable of that almost superhuman affection, which is sometimes
exhibited by Dogs:--“A lady near Geneva had a tame Wolf, which seemed
to have as much attachment to its mistress as a Spaniel. She had
occasion to leave home for some weeks. The Wolf evinced the greatest
distress after her departure, and at first refused to take food. During
the whole time she was absent he remained much dejected. On her return,
as soon as the animal heard her footsteps, he bounded into the room
in an ecstasy of delight. Springing up, he placed one paw on each of
her shoulders, but the next moment he fell backward and instantly
expired.”[125]
[Illustration: YOUNG WOLVES.]
There are several varieties of the Wolf besides the common European
kind, most of which have been considered by different authors as
distinct species, and some of which are even now so considered, though
the differences between them are so very slight and unimportant, that
it seems hardly advisable to look upon them as anything more than
_geographical species_--varieties produced by difference of climate and
other surroundings.
“The Black Wolf is a name given to a variety which is most frequent in
Southern Europe, and particularly in the Pyrenees, and to the south of
those mountains, where they are more common than the ordinary Wolf,
which the Black Wolf equals in stature, and, if anything, exceeds in
strength. Cuvier says it is found, but very rarely, in France.”
The Wolf found in Palestine, the subject of so many references in the
Old Testament, is, according to Canon Tristram, a very well-marked
variety. He says of it:--
“The Wolf is the dread of the shepherd from one end of the country to
the other, and a single Wolf is far more destructive than a whole pack
of Jackals. Again and again I have put up the Syrian Wolf and fired at
it without success. Near Beersheba, in the hill country, in the forests
of Bashan and Gilead, in the ravines of Galilee and Lebanon, and in the
maritime plains, it is alike distributed. I never saw two together, and
I never heard of them hunting in packs. It is much to be wished that
some traveller may be able to secure a specimen for examination, for it
may possibly prove to be a distinct variety. It is of a lighter fawn
colour than any European Wolf I ever saw, and appears decidedly larger.
I can confirm the statement of Dr. Russell, that the natives speak of
another larger and fiercer species called ‘Sheeb,’ but I could never
obtain any clear definition of the distinctions between the two.”
The Wolf of India, abundant in the open country, rare in the wooded
districts over the whole of the great peninsula, is considered, by
authorities such as Mr. Blyth and Dr. Jerdon, as a distinct species,
and is called _Canis pallipes_.
“The Wolves of the Southern Mahratta country,” says Mr. Elliot,
“generally hunt in packs, and I have seen them in full chase after
the Goat-Antelope (_Gazella Bennettii_). They likewise steal round a
herd of Antelopes, and conceal themselves on different sides, till an
opportunity offers of seizing one of them unawares, as they approach,
whilst grazing, to one or other of their hidden assailants. On one
occasion three Wolves were seen to chase a herd of Gazelles across
a ravine in which two others were lying in wait. They succeeded
in seizing a female Gazelle, which was taken from them. They have
frequently been seen to course and run down Hares and Foxes; and it is
a common belief of the Ryots that in the open plains, where there is no
cover or concealment, they scrape a hole in the earth, in which one of
the pack lies down, and remains hid, while the others drive the herd
of Antelopes over him. Their chief prey, however, is Sheep; and the
shepherds say that part of the pack attack and keep the Dogs in play,
while others carry off their prey, and that if pursued they follow the
same plan, part turning and checking the Dogs, whilst the rest drag
away the carcass till they evade pursuit. Instances are not uncommon of
their attacking man. In 1824, upwards of thirty children were devoured
by Wolves in one pergunnah alone. Sometimes a large Wolf is seen to
seek his prey singly. These are called _Won-tola_ by the Canarese, and
reckoned particularly fierce.”
This Indian Wolf has dingy reddish-white fur, some of the hairs being
tipped with black; the lower parts are dingy white, the tail slightly
tipped with black.
Closely allied to the Indian Wolf is a variety from Tibet, “_Canis
laniger_, sometimes called the ‘White Wolf’ by sportsmen who cross the
Himalayas. It is the Chángú of Tibet, _Chankodi_, near the Niti Pass
from Kumaon; and it is a larger animal than the Indian Wolf, with white
face and limbs, and no dark tip to the tail, which is fully brushed.
The hair is extremely woolly,” this peculiarity being, of course
brought about by the cold climate to which the animal is exposed. Tibet
also boasts another variety, the Red or Golden Wolf, which is fulvous,
with greyish-brown head, and with the lower parts pure white. A third
variety, with black shaggy fur, and sometimes known as _Canis niger_,
exists in the same country.
The North American Wolf, which extends from Greenland in the north
to Mexico in the south, is often separately considered as _Canis
occidentalis_. It differs from the European kind chiefly in its fur
being finer, denser, and longer, and in the curious fact that its feet
are, as Sir John Richardson remarks, very broad, so as to enable it to
run easily on the snow. The development of these natural snow-shoes in
the American Wolf fitting it so beautifully for its particular mode of
life is highly interesting. This species is entirely absent from South
America, but its wide distribution in North America may be gathered
from Richardson’s account:--
“Wolves are found in greater or less abundance in different districts,
but they may be said to be very common throughout the northern regions;
their footmarks may be seen by the side of every stream, and a
traveller can rarely pass a night in these wilds without hearing them
howling around him. They are very numerous on the sandy plains which,
lying to the eastward of the Rocky Mountains, extend from the sources
of the Peace and Saskatchewan Rivers towards the Missouri. There bands
of them hang on the skirts of the Buffalo herds, and prey upon the
sick and straggling Calves. They do not, under ordinary circumstances,
venture to attack the full-grown animal; for the hunters informed me
that they often see Wolves walking through a herd of Bulls without
exciting the least alarm; and the marksmen, when they crawl towards a
Buffalo for the purpose of shooting it, occasionally wear a cap with
two ears, in imitation of the head of a Wolf, knowing from experience
that they will be suffered to approach nearer in that guise.”[126]
The American Wolf extends into Greenland, where the Eskimo take it
in traps of a very novel construction, “made of strong slabs of ice,
long and narrow, so that a Fox can with difficulty turn himself in it;
but a Wolf must actually remain in the position in which he is taken.
The door is a heavy portcullis of ice, sliding in two well-secured
grooves of the same substance, and is kept up by a line, which,
passing over the top of the trap, is carried through a hole at the
farthest extremity; to the end of the line is fastened a small hoop of
whalebone, and to this any kind of flesh bait is attached. From the
slab which terminates the trap a projection of ice, or a peg of wood
or bone, points inwards near the bottom, and under this the hoop is
lightly hooked; the slightest pull at the bait liberates it, the door
falls in an instant, and the Wolf is speared where he lies.”
There are no less than five varieties of the North American Wolf, to
all of which separate specific names have been given by authors. They
are: the Common Grey Wolf (_Lupus griseus_), the White Wolf (_Lupus
albus_), the Pied Wolf (_Lupus sticte_), the Dusky Wolf (_Lupus
nubilus_), and the Black Wolf (_Lupus ater_.) All these differ from
one another only in the lesser details of colouring and other minor
characters. In their habits they resemble one another entirely, and it
is therefore unnecessary to do more than mention them.
The Coyote, or Prairie Wolf[127] occurs, along with the common North
American Wolf, as far south as Mexico; its northern range being about
the 55th degree of latitude.
“The Prairie Wolf has much resemblance to the Common Grey Wolf in
colour; but differs from it so much in size, voice, and manners, that
it is fully entitled to rank as a distinct species. It inhabits the
plains of the Missouri and Saskatchewan, and also, though in smaller
numbers, those of Columbia. On the banks of the Saskatchewan, these
animals start from the earth in great numbers on hearing the report of
a gun, and gather around the hunter in expectation of getting the offal
of the animal he has slaughtered. They hunt in packs, and are much
more fleet than the Common Wolf. I was informed by a gentleman who has
resided forty years on the Saskatchewan, and is an experienced hunter,
that the only animal on the plains which he could not overtake, when
mounted on a good Horse, was the Prong-horned Antelope, and that the
Meesteh-chaggoneesh, or Prairie Wolf, was the next in speed.”
“The fur of the Prairie Wolf is of the same quality with that of the
Grey Wolf, and consists of long hairs, with a thick wool at their base.
The wool has a smoky or dull lead colour; the long hairs on the back
are either white for their whole length, or they are merely tipped with
black. The prevailing colour along the spine is dark blackish-grey,
sprinkled with white hairs. Its cheeks, upper lip, chin, throat, belly,
and insides of the thighs, are white. There is a light-brown tint upon
the upper surface of the nose, on the forehead, and between the ears,
on the shoulders, on the sides, where it is mixed with grey, and on
the outsides of the thighs and legs. The tail is grey and brown, with
a black tip. Some individuals have a broad black mark on the shins of
the fore-legs, like the European Wolf. The ears are short, erect, and
roundish, white anteriorly and brown behind. The tail is bushy, and is
clothed, like the body, with wool and long hair. Some specimens want
the brown tints, and have most of the grey colour.”[128] The length of
body and head together amounts to about three feet; that of the tail
about fourteen or fifteen inches.
[Illustration: COYOTE, OR PRAIRIE WOLF.]
The Red Wolf (_Canis jubatus_) of Brazil shows considerable resemblance
both to the Jackals and to the Foxes. It has long, slender legs, a
slender snout, long ears, and stiff, shaggy, reddish hair, raised into
a mane along the neck.
THE JACKAL.[129]
Next to the Wolf, the Jackal is the most important wild member of the
Dog tribe. It is a much smaller animal than the Wolf, not exceeding
thirty inches in length, and seventeen in height at the shoulder. It
is also distinguished from Wolves and true Dogs by its curious, long
pointed muzzle. Its fur is of a dusky-yellowish colour--whence its
name of “Loup doré,” or gilded Wolf, and its specific appellation
_aureus_--“the hairs being mottled black, grey, and brown, with the
under fur brownish-yellow, the lower parts yellowish-grey, tail
reddish-brown, ending in a darkish tuft.” There is a good deal of
variation from this colour, depending partly on the time of year,
partly on the locality.
The Jackal is a cowardly animal, blessed with a most evil smell and
with a voracious appetite. It lives largely upon carrion, a good deal
of which it gets as a sort of “perquisite” from the remains of the
Lion’s feast. It is sometimes called “the Lion’s provider,” a name
which “may have arisen from the notion that the yell of the pack gives
notice to the Lion that prey is on foot, or from the Jackals being seen
to feed on the remnants of the Lion’s quarry.” Dr. Jerdon says, “it is
a very useful scavenger, clearing away all garbage and carrion from the
neighbourhood of Cape Town, but occasionally committing depredations
among poultry and other domestic animals. Sickly Sheep and Goats
usually fall a prey to him; and a wounded Antelope is pretty certain to
be tracked and hunted to death by Jackals. They will, however, partake
freely of vegetable food.”
Like most other Dogs, the Jackal hunts in packs; and then, while on an
expedition for food, makes night hideous by its fearful cries. In this
it calls to mind the Hyæna, as well as in some other particulars, as,
for instance, in its love for carrion, and in the remarkably cool way
in which it will stare and laugh at travellers, as if holding them up
to general ridicule.
The habits of the Jackal are altogether canine. Their hunts are
conducted under the guidance of a leader, who is said to give the
signal for every attack by a peculiar cry, and so powerful are these
little animals in their union, that they are quite capable of pulling
down a Deer. Their chief food in Ceylon seems to be Hares, the numbers
of which they keep down to such an extent that those palatable Rodents
are quite scarce in regions infested by Jackals.
The Jackal resembles, in one respect, the Fox, more than either the
Wolf or Wild Dog. It has the reputation for excessive cunning, and
indeed takes the place of our old vulpine friend, in the legends of
the East. It is said that “when a Jackal has brought down his game
and killed it, his first impulse is to hide it in the nearest jungle,
whence he issues, with an air of easy indifference, to observe whether
anything more powerful than himself may be at hand from which he
might encounter the risk of being despoiled of his capture. If the
coast be clear, he returns to the concealed carcass, and carries it
away, followed by his companions. But if a man be in sight, or any
other animal to be avoided, my informant has seen the Jackal seize a
cocoa-nut husk in his mouth, or any similar substance, and fly at full
speed, as if eager to carry off his pretended prize, returning for the
real booty at some more convenient season.”
[Illustration: JACKAL.]
Sir Emerson Tennent states that the Jackal, like the Domestic Dog, is
subject to rabies, and that cattle frequently die from bites inflicted
by them when in this condition.
“An excrescence is sometimes found on the head of the Jackal,
consisting of a small horny cone, about half an inch in length, and
concealed by a tuft of hair. This the natives call _Narri comboo_;
and they aver that this ‘Jackal’s horn’ only grows on the head of the
leader of the pack. Both the Singhalese and the Tamils regard it as a
talisman, and believe that its fortunate possessor can command, by its
instrumentality, the realisation of every wish, and that if stolen or
lost by him, it will invariably return of its own accord. Those who
have jewels to conceal rest in perfect security, if along with them
they can deposit a _Narri comboo_, fully convinced that its presence is
an effectual safeguard against robbers.
“One fabulous virtue ascribed to the _Narri comboo_ by the Singhalese
is absurdly characteristic of their passion for litigation, as well as
of their perceptions of the ‘glorious uncertainty of the law.’ It is
the popular belief that the fortunate discoverer of a Jackal’s horn
becomes thereby invincible in every lawsuit, and must irresistibly
triumph over every opponent. A gentleman connected with the Supreme
Court of Colombo has repeated to me a circumstance, within his own
knowledge, of a plaintiff, who, after numerous defeats, eventually
succeeded against his opponent by the timely acquisition of this
invaluable charm. Before the final hearing of the cause, the mysterious
horn was duly exhibited to his friends; and the consequence was that
the adverse witnesses, appalled by the belief that no one could
possibly give judgment against a person so endowed, suddenly modified
their previous evidence, and secured an unforeseen victory for the
happy owner of the _Narri comboo_!”
Jackals have often been tamed; and, under the circumstances, behave
exactly like the Domestic Dog: they fawn upon their masters, wag their
tails, and throw themselves on their backs with all four paws in the
air, altogether like Dogs. The chief drawback to their domestication is
their abominable smell; but it is stated by Colonel Sykes that a tame
female Jackal in his possession was quite devoid of this odour, while a
recently-caught male, which was placed with her, smelt so horribly as
to be almost unapproachable.
[Illustration: JACKAL OF SENEGAL.]
The Common Jackal is found in Asia Minor, South-East Asia, including
Persia and India, as far south as Ceylon, and in the North of Africa.
The Black-backed Jackal (_Canis mesomelas_) is found in trans-Saharal
Africa, from Nubia to the Cape. It is rather larger than the common
kind, with longer ears and tail, a light red skin, with a black
back-stripe. It is a very thievish animal, and is accused by some of
the natives of eating off the tails of their Sheep.
The Jackal of Senegal (_Canis anthus_) is one of the best marked
varieties of the Jackal, and has a strong claim to the distinction of a
separate specific name. It is considerably larger than the common kind,
more elegantly built, and has very long legs, almost like those of a
Greyhound. It is of a bright tawny colour, with dark band on the back,
side, and chest. It is one of the commonest animals in Central Africa,
and “its habits are different to those of the Common Jackal. It is more
prudent and suspicious, and is completely nocturnal. During the day it
lies hidden in a safe retreat, and nothing but chance can reveal its
presence to the hunter.”
The Crab-eating Dog (_Canis cancrivorus_) is a Jackal approaching in
many respects, especially in its long and bushy tail, to the Foxes. It
is found in the savannahs of South America. The Aguara, or Azara’s Fox
(_Canis Azaræ_), another South American species, is almost half-way
between Jackals and Foxes, the latter of which it chiefly resembles in
its long tail and short snout.
THE COMMON FOX.[130]
The Foxes form a very distinct group of _Canidæ_, differing far more
from the Dog, Wolf, and Jackal than those animals do from one another.
The most characteristic and important difference between them lies in
the fact that in the Foxes the pupil of the eye contracts under the
influence of strong light to a vertical slit, dilating and becoming
circular again as the light diminishes. This is the case, as will be
remembered, in the Common Cat, and many other members of the same
family; it is, in fact, very usual in animals of nocturnal habits,
which, being used under ordinary circumstances to make shift with the
smallest quantity of light obtainable, are advantaged by being able to
exclude all superfluous rays when the illumination becomes stronger
than they can comfortably bear. Moreover, the muzzle of Foxes is much
sharper than that of Dogs, the head more rounded, the ears erect and
triangular, the limbs short, and the tail or “brush” long, thick, and
bushy. On account of these differences, many naturalists prefer to
separate the Foxes altogether from Dogs, Wolves, and Jackals, and make
them constitute a new genus--_Vulpes_--the Common Fox being called
_Vulpes vulgaris_.
[Illustration: COMMON FOX.]
The habits and appearance of the Fox are thoroughly well known,
especially in Great Britain, where the life of this, the greatest
marauder of the farmyard, is held in such high esteem, that in many
places vulpicide is a crime of almost equal magnitude with homicide,
and of far greater magnitude than uxoricide: at any rate, if the
latter operation be only fairly conducted, _secundum artem_, with
boots. In many counties, even now, the farmer who kills the pillager
of his poultry-yard, instead of leaving him to come by his death in
the hunting-field, is promptly “sent to Coventry,” and often obliged
to pack up, bag and baggage, and try his fortune in another locality.
The Fox, indeed, must be brought to justice for no crime he may commit,
however great; but when his time is up, he must be hunted to death
with an army of Dogs, each one twice his own size, and his dying
struggles witnessed by scores of horsemen and horsewomen, who are
considered to have done great things if they are “in at the death” of
the insignificant little thing, which ought to have been knocked on the
head long ago.
The cunning of the Fox is proverbial. When hunted, he “makes a thousand
shifts to get away,” and often succeeds in baffling the whole pack
of well-trained Hounds. His stealthy tread, as he winds along the
hill sides and valley slopes to seek his prey or to reach his lair,
is altogether characteristic of one thoroughly well up to his work.
Numberless tales are told of his sagacity, but we will content
ourselves with one which forms almost as good an example of animal
reason as any we have met with, even in the Dog:--
“A farmer in Bogside, Beith, of the name of Fleming, was looking out
of his window one summer’s morning, about three o’clock, when he saw
a Fox crossing a field before it, carrying a large Duck which he had
captured. On coming to a stone dyke, about four feet high, on the side
of the field, Reynard made an effort to leap over it with his prey, but
failed, and fell back into the field. After making three attempts, with
the same result, he sat down, and viewed the dyke for a few minutes;
after apparently satisfying himself, he caught the Duck by the head,
and standing up against the dyke with his fore-paws as high as he
could reach, he placed the bill of the Duck in a crevice in the wall;
then springing upon the top he reached down, and pulling up the Duck,
dropped it upon the other side, leaped down, and picking it up, went on
his way.”
The Common Fox is found, under more or less well-marked varieties, some
of which are often elevated to the rank of species, over the greater
part of Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and in many parts of America.
THE ARCTIC FOX.[131]
This is an extremely well-marked species of Fox, found in the southern
and central parts of Greenland, and extending high up Smith’s Sound. It
is sometimes seen during the Seal-hunting season hundreds of miles from
land, on the frozen sea, where it has wandered to feast on the dead
Seals.
It is usually stated that the colour of the skin of this animal varies
with the season--that in summer it is of a blue-grey colour, while in
winter it is perfectly white; these colours, of course, serving as
a protection to the animal: the blue harmonises well with the rocky
shore and the thick, dark ice, while the winter coat is perfectly
indistinguishable on the snow, with which the ground is then thickly
strewn. But according to a writer of high authority, Dr. Robert Brown,
this is all a mistake. The white and blue colours are distinctive of
separate varieties of the Arctic Fox, and not of the same animal at
different seasons; the colour in each case being wholly independent of
the time of year. The length, from snout to root of tail, is about two
feet, that of the tail itself about a foot.
An interesting account of the manners and customs of this pretty little
animal is given by Sir J. Richardson, who says:--
“The Arctic Fox is an extremely cleanly animal, being very careful not
to dirt those places in which he eats or sleeps. No unpleasant smell is
to be perceived, even in a male, which is a remarkable circumstance. To
come unawares on one of these creatures is, in my opinion, impossible;
for even when in an apparently sound sleep, they open their eyes at
the slightest noise which is made near them, although they pay no
attention to sounds when at a short distance. The general time of rest
is during the daylight, in which they appear listless and inactive;
but the night no sooner sets in than all their faculties are awakened:
they commence their gambols, and continue in unceasing and rapid motion
until the morning. While hunting for food, they are mute, but when
in captivity or irritated, they utter a short growl, like that of a
young puppy. It is a singular fact that their bark is so undulated
as to give an idea that the animal is at a distance, although at the
very moment he lies at your feet. Although the rage of a newly-caught
Fox is quite ungovernable, yet it very rarely happened that on two
being put together they quarrelled. A confinement of a few hours often
sufficed to quiet these creatures; and some instances occurred of their
being perfectly tame, although timid, from the first moment of their
captivity. On the other hand, there were some which, after months of
coaxing, never became more tractable. These, we supposed, were old ones.
“Their first impulse on receiving food is to hide it as soon
as possible, even though suffering from hunger, and having no
fellow-prisoners of whose honesty they are doubtful. In this case,
snow is of great assistance, as being easily piled over their stores,
and then forcibly pressed down by the nose. I frequently observed
my Dog-Fox, when no snow was attainable, gather his chain into his
mouth, and in that manner carefully coil it so as to hide the meat.
On moving away, satisfied with his operations, he of course had drawn
it after him again, and sometimes with great patience repeated his
labours five or six times, until in a passion he has been constrained
to eat his food without its having been rendered luscious by previous
concealment. Snow is the substitute for water to these creatures,
and on a large lump being given to them, they break it in pieces
with their feet, and roll on it with great delight. When the snow was
slightly scattered on the decks, they did not lick it up, as Dogs are
accustomed to do, but by repeatedly pressing with their nose collected
small lumps at its extremity, and then drew it into the mouth with the
assistance of the tongue.” In another passage, Captain Lyon, alluding
to the above-mentioned Dog-Fox, says, “He was small and not perfectly
white; but his tameness was so remarkable, that I could not afford to
kill him, but confined him on deck in a small hutch with a scope of
chain. The little animal astonished us very much by his extraordinary
sagacity: for, during the first day, finding himself much tormented
by being drawn out repeatedly by his chain, he at length, whenever he
retreated to his hut, took this carefully up in his mouth, and drew
it so completely after him that no one who valued his fingers would
endeavour to take hold of the end attached to the staple.”
The Eskimo take the Arctic Foxes in traps, which are described by
Captain Parry as being “extremely simple and ingenious. They consist
of a small circular arched hut, built of stones, having a square
aperture at the top, but quite close and secure in every other part.
This aperture is closed by some blades of whalebone, which, though in
reality only fixed to the stones at one end, appear to form a secure
footing, especially when the deception is assisted by a little snow
laid on them. The bait is so placed that the animal must come upon this
platform to get at it, when the latter, unable to bear the weight,
bends downwards, and after precipitating the Fox into the trap, which
is made too deep to allow of his escape, returns by its elasticity to
its former position, so that several may then be caught successively.”
They are also taken in the wolf-traps of ice; and all the rocky islands
lying off the mouth of the Coppermine River are studded with square
traps, built of stone, by the Eskimo, wherein the Fox is killed by a
flat stone falling upon him when he pulls at the bait.
The skins of both the white and the blue Fox are important articles of
commerce, but the blue variety, being much rarer than the white, is far
more valuable, the price for it being six or seven times as much as
that of the white.
THE FENNEC.[132]
This is a pretty little Fox-like animal, about ten inches long, not
including the tail, which measures about five inches and a quarter.
The fur is of a whitish hue, the cheeks large, and the snout sharp,
just like those of a true Fox; but the ears distinguish it at once:
they are quite erect, and nearly three inches and a half long, that is,
considerably longer than the whole head.
The Fennec is found in the whole of Africa, and has also been described
as occurring at Bushire, on the shores of the Persian Gulf. It was
first noticed by the African traveller, Bruce, who kept a specimen as
a pet. The favourite food of this animal “consisted of dates or any
sweet fruit; but he was also very fond of eggs. He would eat bread
when hungry, more especially if it was rendered palatable by honey or
sugar. The sight of a bird aroused him to eager watchfulness as long as
it was present; and a Cat was his aversion. He would endeavour to hide
from the latter, but never showed a disposition to resist or defend
himself. The animal was disposed to sleep by day, but as night came on
he became restless to excess. Bruce never heard it utter any sound.
He says that the animal is described in many Arabian books under the
name of El Fennec, by which appellation he states that it is known all
over Africa; and he conceives that the word is derived from the Greek
_Phoinix_, a palm or date-tree, adding that the animal builds his nest
on trees, and does not burrow in the earth.”
The fondness of the Fennec for vegetable food is curious, as most of
the wild _Canidæ_ have so marked a preference for animal food. Bruce’s
statement quite bears out the main fact in the old fable of “The Fox
and the Grapes,” as well as that in the “Song of Songs”--“Take us the
Foxes, the little Foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have
tender grapes.”
On the shores of the Persian Gulf, the Fennec is sometimes hunted
with Dogs, and will often take to the sea to escape from its enemies.
Fennec-hunting is likely to be good sport, as the long-eared little
creature is extremely plucky and enduring. In Africa, according to Sir
John Kirk, “these animals hunt in packs. Although inferior in speed to
the Antelope, they will run him down, and at last wear him out; even
the Buffalo they are said sometimes to kill.”
[Illustration: FENNECS AND JERBOAS.]
THE LONG-EARED FOX.[133]
This very extraordinary little animal is found only in South Africa. It
has somewhat the appearance of a Fennec, but the bushy tail is straight
and comparatively short, being not more than half the length of the
body and head, which together are about two feet long. The ears are of
great size, and the snout is very short and pointed. The skin is of a
greyish-yellow colour, white beneath, and the tail is darker than the
rest of the body. It differs from all other Canidæ in having no less
than six additional molar teeth, two on each side of the upper, one
on each side of the lower jaw.[134] Some of the teeth, too, show an
approximation in form to those of the Civets. For these reasons it is,
like the two following animals, placed in a separate genus from the
rest of the Canidæ.
THE RACOON DOG.[135]
This is another member of the family, the peculiarities of which are
so great as to necessitate its being placed in a separate genus. It
is very different from an ordinary Dog, and has the look of a Racoon,
which, as we shall see afterwards, is a member of one of the families
of Arctoidea, and far removed from the Dogs. The body is covered with
long brown fur; the ears are short and rounded. The back is curiously
arched, almost like that of a Marten or Weasel; the legs are short and
slender. The body attains a length of almost twenty-eight inches; the
prettily-feathered tail is about four inches in length. The teeth equal
in number those of ordinary Dogs.
THE HYÆNA-DOG.[136]
This curious animal, sometimes called the “Cape Hunting Dog,” is
found over the greater part of trans-Saharal Africa, being especially
abundant in the neighbourhood of Cape Colony. Of all the Cynoids it is
the species which shows the greatest approximation to the Æluroid type.
It is, to all intents and purposes, a Dog, but yet in some few respects
shows a decided relationship with the Hyænas; for instance, the back
slopes slightly towards the hinder quarter, the muzzle is black, and of
that ugly snub-nosed character so characteristic of Hyænas, the ears
are long and straight, and the tail scanty. It differs also from the
true Dogs in having only four toes on all the feet, instead of five on
the fore feet and four on the hind feet. The skull and teeth are quite
Cynoid in character: the former presenting only one single slight and
unimportant point in which it tends to resemble that of a Hyæna.
The Lycaon is about the size of a Wolf. Its skin varies a good deal
in its markings. “White, black, and yellow ochre are its chief tints;
the white predominates in some, the black in others, and forms the
fundamental colours; the spots are very irregular, sometimes large,
sometimes small, very varyingly disposed on the surface of the
body; the white and ochreous spots are always mixed with black. The
colouration of the head is the most constant; the muzzle is black up to
the eyes; and black bands are prolonged between the eye and ear, along
the top of the head, to the neck. The tail is usually tolerably regular
in colouration: it is ochreous at the root, black in the middle, white
or ochreous at the tip; the eyes are brown.”
The Hyæna-Dogs are partly diurnal, partly nocturnal in their habits.
They like fresh meat, and are, at the same time, partial to carrion.
“These animals invariably hunt together in large organised packs,
varying in numbers from ten to sixty, and by their extraordinary
powers of endurance and mode of mutual assistance, they are enabled
to run into the swiftest and overcome the largest and most powerful
Antelope. Their pace is a long, never-tiring gallop, and in the chase
they relieve one another, the leading Hounds falling to the rear when
fatigued, when others who have been husbanding their strength come up
and relieve them. Having succeeded in bringing their quarry to bay,
they all surround him, and he is immediately dragged to the ground, and
in a few minutes torn to pieces and consumed.
“Their voices consist of three different kinds of cry, each being
used on special occasions. One of their cries is a sharp angry bark,
usually uttered when they suddenly behold an object which they cannot
make out. Another resembles a number of Monkeys chattering together, or
conversing when their teeth are chattering violently from cold. This
cry is emitted at night, when large numbers of them are together and
they are excited by any particular occurrence, such as being barked
at by Domestic Dogs. The third cry, and the one most commonly uttered
by them, is a sort of rallying note to bring the various members of
the pack together when they have been scattered in following several
individuals of a troop of Antelopes. It is a peculiarly soft and
melodious cry, yet, nevertheless, may be distinguished at a great
distance. It very much resembles the second note uttered by the Cuckoo,
which visits our island during the summer months; and when heard on
a calm morning echoing through the distant woodlands, it has a very
pleasing effect.”[137]
[Illustration: HYÆNA DOG.]