16 DOGS. Chap. I. 



the great dissimilarity of the skulls of the several breeds of 

 the domestic dogs. It seems, however, that remains have 

 been found in the later tertiary deposits more like those of a 

 large dog than of a wolf, which favours the belief of De 

 Blainville that our doers are the descendants of a single ex- 

 tinct species. On the other hand, some authors go so far as 

 to assert that every chief domestic breed must have had its 

 wild prototype. This latter view is extremely improbable : 

 it allows nothing for variation ; it passes over the almost 

 monstrous character of some of the breeds ; and it almost ne 

 cessarily assumes that a large number of species have become 

 extinct since man domesticated the dog ; whereas we plainly 

 see that wild members of the dog-family are extirpated 

 by human agency with much difficulty ; even so recently 

 as 1710 the wolf existed in so small an island as Ireland. 



The reasons which have led various authors to infer that 

 our dogs have descended from more than one wild species are 

 as follows. 2 Firstly, the great difference between the several 

 breeds ; but this will appear of comparatively little weight, 

 after we shall have seen how great are the differences between 

 the several races of various domesticated animals which cer- 

 tainly have descended from a single parent-form. Secondly, 

 the more important fact, that, at the most anciently known 

 historical periods, several breeds of the dog existed, very 

 unlike each other, and closely resembling or identical with 

 breeds still alive. 



We will briefly run back through the historical records. 



2 Pallas, I believe, originated this force than the late James Wilson, of 



doctrine in 'Act. Acad. St. Peters- Edinburgh, in various papers read 



burgh,' 1780, Part ii. Ehrenberg has before the Highland Agricultural and 



advocated it, as may be seen in De Wernerian Societies. Isidore Geoffroy 



Blainville's ' O-teographie,' p. 79. It Saint-Hilaire (' Hist. Nat. Gen.,' 1860, 



has been carried to an extreme extent torn. iii. p. 107), though he believes 



by Col. Hamilton Smith in the that most dogs have descended from 



' Naturalist Library,' vols. ix. and x. the jackal, yet inclines to the belief 



Mr. W. C. Martin adopts it in his that some are descended from the 



excellent ' History of the Dog,' 1845 ; wolf. Prof. Gervais (' Hist. Nat. 



as does Dr. Morton, as well as Nott Mamm.' 1855, torn. ii. p. 69, referrirj j 



and Gliddon, in the United States. to the view that all the domest 3 



Prof. Low, in his ' Domesticated races are the modified descendants of a 



Animals,' 1845, p. 666, comes to this single species, after a long discussion, 



same conclusion. No one has argued says, " Cette opinion est, suivant nous 



on this side with more clearness and du moins, la moins probaMe." 



