ALLEN: DOGS OF THE AMERICAN ABORIGLVES. 445 



of the large English dogs at the Fort on Hudson Bay; Ross (1S61) 

 notes the crossing of Eskiino Dogs Avith imported Pointers; and 

 Harmon (1820) records that by the early part of the last century, 

 large dogs imported from the English settlements of Newfoundland, 

 had already been introduced in the fur countries as far west as the 

 Rocky Mountains. It seems apparent that the large size of some 

 present-day Eskimo Dogs is therefore due to the influence of imported 

 stock, and that probably the aboriginal Plskimo Dog was not a much 

 larger animal than the Common Indian Dog. The thick coat, how- 

 ever, often adds much to its apparent size. 



It seems to be somewhat characteristic of the Eskimo Dog that the 

 posterior narial opening (interpterygoid fossa) is broader and shallower, 

 less contracted at its rearmost portion, than in dogs of other breeds, 

 possibly correlated with their use in hauling and consec[uent need for 

 deeper breathing. In this respect, however, there is some variation; 

 \-et in certain larger skulls which are presumably of mongrel dogs, the 

 more narrowed and deepened fossa is ob\ious. 



Thorndike (1911), in an interesting article on the Indian sfed-dogs 

 of North America, doubts if pure-blooded Eskimo or "Husky" Dogs 

 are today found in North America except possibly about the Copper- 

 mine River, Banks Land and Wollaston Land. "In general, the 

 Eskimo Dog differs from the Indian variety in beipg more wolfish and 

 in having less European strain. His tail is more bushy and he is 

 cleaner-legged. His ears are more erect and pointed, while his body 

 is larger in size" — this in comparison with the mongrel dogs of the 

 northern forest Indians of the present day. 



Origin. — From its evident similarity of appearance to the Siberian 

 Sledge-Dog, it is generally accepted that the two are of similar origin. 

 The Sil)erian Dog seems indeed to differ in little except possibly its 

 slightly smaller size. Dogs of the same type are found across northern 

 Asia into Lapland, whence certain authors have concluded that the 

 Eskuno Dog was undoubtedly brought from the Old World by the 

 S^skimo themselves, who inust already have known how to use them 

 in harness. This \\v\y seems on the whole very probable. The 

 ultimate deri\ation of the Eskimo Dog and the so-called Spitz Dogs 

 in general, is howe^■er, still obscure. Some form of Wolf is commonly 

 looked to as the remote ancestor of the breed though direct proof is 

 not available. Holland (1908, p. 232) has even gone so far as to 

 suggest that certain well-preserved jaws discovered in a Pleistocene 

 cave-deposit at Frankstown, Pennsylvania, may from their i-esem- 

 blance to those of an Eskimo Dog, have come from a wolf-like ancestor 



