ago, a female of this species was sent as a present to Mr. Nepean from Captain Philip. From its fierceness and agility, it had greatly the advantage of animals much superior to it in size; for a very large fox-dog being put to it, in a moment it seized him by the loins and would have put a period to his existence, had not some one been at hand. With the utmost facility it could leap on the back of an ass, and was once very near worrying one to death, having fastened on it so firmly that the creature was not able to disengage itself without assistance; it has likewise been known to run down both deer and sheep. This dog would not eat dressed meat; I am not, however, aware, whether the numerous specimens of this animal now in the Zoological Gardens, and Menageries, are equally particular in this respect.
The tenacity of life in the Australian dingo is most wonderful. The saying, that a cat has nine lives would be much more applicable to this animal, for I have known instances in which dingos have been badly wounded by ball or buck-shot, worried and torn by dogs, and to all appearance killed; and yet the moment their bodies were abandoned they would become resuscitated and limp off into the brushes.[1] The dingo affords good sport if hunted like the fox. In the more prosperous times of the
- ↑ Dr. Bennett's "Wanderings in New South Wales," contains several amusing examples of this peculiarity of the Australian wild dog.
