In Abyssinia these animals are nearly equally active and bold by day and night. They abound in every part, and are scarcely less numerous even than sheep. Mr. Bruce complains of their being the plague of his life in that country, the terror of his night-walks, and the destruc tion of his mules and asses, which were, with them a favourite food. One night, having, for a moment, quitted his tent, where he had previously heard some noise within it, the cause of which, how ever, he was unable to discover, and had ceased to think of, he observed on his return, in the dark, two large blue eyes most fixedly glaring on him. A light being speedily brought, he discovered, near the Lead of his bed, a hyaena, with several bundles of candles in his mouth. Mr. Bruce immediately struck at him with a long pike, which penetrated com pletely through him, near his heart. The animal no sooner felt the smarting of the wound, than he appeared animated by the most fierce and desperate ven geance, and strove actually to climb up the shaft of the pike, to reach his de stroyer. The servant, however, cleft his head asunder with a battle-axe. Plate VI. fig. 1.
C. aureus, the jackal. In the warm latitudes of Asia and Africa, these ani mals abound, and no where more than in Barbary. The jackal is of a light yellow colour, with black shades about the back and legs ; and about the size of a mid dling dog. In its excursions, which are chiefly during night, it commits promis cuous ravage among the more defence less animals, though vegetables are some times used for food by it. Jackals fre quently assemble in large droves, or troops, even so numerous as two hun dred, and hunt the vast herds of deer or antelopes which abound in these regions, sounding the most horrid yells, and pur suing their prey till it sinks under the exhaustion of fatigue and terror. The feast of the jackals, however, is gene rally intercepted, or at least delayed, by the appearance of the lion, who, roused by their sounds, and aware that they are preparing a banquet which he may enjoy at his leisure, follows their footsteps. While he gratifies his appetite, these humble and trembling purveyors await at a distance the moment, when the lord of the forest shall have completed his re past, and they may safely approach, to de vour the mutilated remains he was unable to dispose of.
It is supposed by some judicious and sagacious naturalists, that the jackal is the real origin of the dog. In the struc ture of the short intestine, called the cazcum, they both agree, and their in stinct and manners are extremely similar. They both are fond of the society of man, and approach on being called by their names. The jackall is easily tamed, and shows an attachment to dogs ; it fawns on its owner, and exhibits all those indi cations of joy, sportiveness and grati tude, which characterize the dog. The jackal and the dog also readily intermix. The wolf and the fox naturally shun maid; mid. The native regions of the wolf, also, are those of extreme cold, which do not suit the dog; and the construction of some of the intestines of the fox, is ex. tremely different from those answering similar purposes in dogs. The different times of gestation, however, in the jackal, and in the dog, appears no slight objec tion to the theory thus advocated. Plate VI. fig. 3.
C. vulpes, the fox. This animal is ge nerally of a yellowish brown colour, with its tail straight, bushy, and tipped with white, from the base of which it emits a rank and fetid odour. The skill of the fox in the construction of its mansion ranks it among the higher order of quad rupeds. He burrows under firm earth,
and often where the roof of his dwelling is prevented from falling in by the wat tling of the roots of trees. His subter raneous residence is generally extensive, and he provides to it several avenues, for his convenience or security. Thus, in stead of being a houseless vagrant, be possesses all the ideas and comforts which attach to a home, and which are justly supposed to imply superior sentiment and intelligence.
The fox is not unfrequently observed, in fine weather, to quit his retreat, and bask at his full length in the sun. His ravages are reserved for the night, and are generally committed at a distance from his home. He destroys for his food various species of vermin. Poultry and young lambs very frequently fall under his power, where he has secure access to them. The dung of other animals, berries, snails, frogs, and insects, are sometimes taken by him. Of grapes he is proverbially fond, and the vineyards suffer very considerably from his depre dations. He wastes or destroys far more than he devours, often hiding large quan taties of his prey in thickets, or beneath the roots of trees. His sagacity to dis cern his prey and his enemies is extra. ordinary. In Palestine, foxes certainly abound ; but, from the narrative of Sam son's fire-brands, might be supposed still more abundant. The animals employed by him in that destructive stratagem were probably jackals, which are at least equally abundant, and far more easily accessible. In very northern latitudes, the fox is frequently black, and affords a fur more valtted than that of almost any other animal : it has been sometimes sold from Kamtschatka for 400 rubles. The fox has been found sometimes per fectly white. The arctic fox, found par ticularly in Nova.Zembla, is one of the hardiest of all animals, unremitted in its pursuit of prey during the severest ri gours of winter. In some parts it is com pelled to sustain itself by berries, shell fish, or whatever is thrown up by the sea. In others, the sustenance of these animals consists of wild geese, and every kind of waterfowls, with their eggs ; and in Lapland, particularly, they feed upon a species of mice called lemings, which, being migratory at uncertain pe riods, induce the consequent migrations of the arctic fox, who will, in the pur suit of this prey, be absent from his na tive country sometimes for three, or even four years. The ground in Spitz bergen being eternally frozen, these ani mals being consequently here unable to burrow, reside in the cliffs of rocks, and two or three are often found in the same hole. The cunning supposed to be cha racteristic of the fox, and which it might be supposed that embarrassment and hardship would increase, is by no means a quality of the variety under conside ration, which is indeed rather noted for its simplicity, instances having been known, in which the arctic fox, after standing by while a trap was baited, has immedlately thrust his head into it. The Greenlanders convert the skins of these animals, which are light and warm, but not lasting, to the purposes of merchan clize, manufacturing some of the thicker and harder parts into buttons. They oc casionally eat the flesh, and the tendons are divided by them into slender fila ments, and substituted for thread. For a representation of the fox, see Mammalia, Plate VI. fig. 4.
Cams, ./liajor, in astronomy, a constel lation of the southern hemisphere.
Caxis ORnor, Caniculus, or Canicula, in astronomy, a constellation in the nor thern hemisphere. See ASTRONOMY.