52 NATURAL IIISTOKY OF ARCTIC AMERICA. 



piopiiateil.by one of the do^s without question, till one day a strange 

 dog lioni another settlement was added to the team. The j)Ossession of 

 the slut now beeame the cause of a series of severe fights, which ended 

 in favor of the strange dog, which immediately became the guardian of 

 the slut. The beaten dog began to lag and dioop, and in -a few daya icas 

 dead, having gone through all the stages of hydrophobia to all appear- 

 ance! 



This was not the only instance of a similar nature that came under 

 my observation; still I do not wish to be understood that I i)lace un- 

 shaken faith in this theory. I had too short a time for observation, and 

 too few examples to warrant me in making generalizations on these 

 data ; but I think it well worth the time for any one who does get the 

 opportunity not to overlook these facts. I dissected a number of the 

 male dogs that died fi'om the rabies, but I never could detect any of the 

 organs diseased except the penis, testicles, and sometimes the kidneys. 

 Why this should be the case I am at a loss to say. There is one other 

 theory that may throw some light on the subject, viz, the constant inter- 

 breeding of the dogs. I have known of instances where a dog had 

 l)OSsession of the mother and her yearling whelps, all, mother included, 

 of which he was father to. It is certain that the progeny rrsulting 

 from such connections are very inferior, and tend toward degenerating 

 the race. It often happens that female dogs cohabit with wolves, the 

 dog being driven oft" by the superior strength of the wolf. This ju'og- 

 eny again is characterized by sujierior strengtli and gnat jjowcrs of 

 endurance, and is less apt to suffer from disease. 



It sometimes happens, the Eskimo tell me, that a family goes into the 

 interior and remains for a year or more, but seldom loses any dogs by 

 disease; tliej" have an idea that the salt-wat«r has something to do witli 

 their dogs dying, for they say tlicy do not die w lien t]ie,\ lixc away 

 from it. It does not seem i)robable, however, that the disease Mould 

 l)rove contagious, assigning either of the above causes for its origin. 



Again, is it positively known that the disorder h not communicable 

 by bite ? 1 am by no means sure ol" tliis. Tlie ICsIvimo al\\a>s earelully 

 get out of the way of dogs alllieted in this manner, and they told me 

 that if one of the sick dogs bit me I would get the same disorder. This 

 information may have been imparted to them by whalemen, however. 



4. Cauis occidentalis, v:ir. griseo-alba, Hd. 

 "Aiiiarook" (f), CnmlxTland Eskimo. 

 TVolves are fieiiuently seen during the winter months on both shores 

 of Cumberland; their principal resorts, however, are further inland, 



t 



