Let us hope that the reward was always
paid, not stolen on the way, as has been so often the case in Turkey.
WILLIAM MITCHELL RAMSAY.
[Illustration: SERBIA
"Now we can make an end of him."]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
JACKALS IN THE POLITICAL FIELD
When the tiger," says the naturalist, "has killed some large animal,
such as a buffalo which he cannot consume at one time, the jackals
collect round the carcase at a respectful distance and wait patiently
until the tiger moves off. Then they rush from all directions, carousing
upon the slaughtered buffalo, each anxious to eat as much as it can
contain in the shortest time."
The human jackal is one of the most squalid and sordid creatures and
features of war. We saw him in Dublin the other day emerging from his
slum den to loot Sackville Street. Every battlefield feeds its carrion
beasts and birds.
This picture of Belgium and its jackals is doubtless only too true. Mr.
Raemakers and the Dutch have better means of knowing than we. The
jackal, says the same naturalist, belongs to the _Canidae_, the "dog
tribe." The scientific name of the true dog is _Canis familiaris,_ "the
household dog." The jackal is _Canis aureus_, the "gold dog." The
epithet describes no doubt his colour. The human _Canis aureus_ perhaps
deserves his title on not less obvious grounds.
"The continent of Europe," the naturalist goes on, "is free from the
jackal.
Pages:
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182