CflAP. I. 



THEIR PARENTAGE. 



37 



with an unequal number on the two sides. 65 Dogs have properly 

 five toes in front and four behind, but a fifth toe is often added ; 

 and F. Cuvier states that, when a fifth toe is present, a fourth 

 cuneiform bone is developed ; and, in this case, sometimes the great 

 cuneiform bone is raised, and gives on its inner side a large arti- 

 cular surface to the astragalus; so that even the relative connection 

 of the bones, the most constant of all characters, varies. These 

 modifications, however, in the feet of dogs are not important, 

 because they ought to be ranked, as De Blainville has shown, 6 * 5 as 

 monstrosities. Nevertheless they are interesting from being corre- 

 lated with the size of the body, for they occur much more frequently 

 with mastiffs and other large breeds than with small dogs. Closely 

 allied varieties, however, sometimes differ in this respect; thus 

 Mr. Hodgson states that the black- and-tan Lassa variety of the 

 Thibet mastiff has the fifth digit, whilst the Mustang sub-variety 

 is not thus characterised. The extent to which the skin is developed 

 between the toes varies much; but we shall return to this point. 

 The degree to which the various breeds differ in the perfection of 

 their senses, dispositions, and inherited habits is notorious to every 

 one. The breeds present some constitutional differences : the pulse, 

 says Youatt, 67 " varies materially according to the breed, as well as 

 to the size of the animal." Different breeds of dogs are subject 

 in different degrees to various diseases. They certainly become 

 adapted to different climates under which they have long existed. 

 It is notorious that most of our best European breeds deteriorate 

 in India. 68 The Rev E. Everest 69 believes that no one has succeeded 

 in keeping the Newfoundland dog long alive in India ; so it is, 

 according to Lichtenstein, 70 even at the Cape of Good Hope. The 

 Thibet mastiff degenerates on the plains of India, and can live only 

 on the mountains. 71 Lloyd 72 asserts that our bloodhounds and 

 bulldogs have been tried, and cannot withstand the cold of the 

 northern European forests. 



Seeing in how many characters the races of the dog' differ 



65 Quoted by Col. Ham. Smith in 

 1 Nat. Lib.,' vol. x. p. 79. 



66 De Blainville, ' Osteographie, 

 Canilae,' p. 134. F. Cuvier, 'Annates 

 du Museum.' torn, xviii. p. 34-2. In 

 regard to mastiffs, see Col. H. Smith, 

 'Nat. Lib.' vol. x. p. 218. For the 

 Thibet mastiff, see Mr. Hodgson in 

 ' Journal of As. Soc. of Bengal,' vol. i., 

 1832, p. 342. 



67 'The Dog,' 1845, p. 186. With 

 respect to diseases, Youatt asserts (p. 

 167) that the Italian greyhouud is 

 ''strongly subject " to polypi in the 

 matrix or vagina. The spaniel and 

 pug (p. 182) are most liable to bron- 



chocele. The liability to distemper 

 (p. 232) is extremely different in dif- 

 ferent breeds. On the distemper, s e 

 also Col. Hutchinson on ' Dog Break- 

 ing,' 1850, p. 279. 



68 See Youatt on the Dog, p. 15 ; 

 'The Veterinary,' London, vol. xi. p. 

 235. 



69 ' Journal of As. Soc. of Bengal,' 

 vol. iii. p. 19. 



70 'Travels,' vol. ii. p. 15. 



71 Hodgson, in 'Journal of As. Soc. 

 of Bengal,' vol. i. p. 342. 



72 ' Field Sports of the North oi 

 Europe,' vol ii. p. 165. 



