THE PEDIGREE OF THE DOG 203 



by crossing with the original stock, and several of them 

 may be comparatively modern. Such breeds throw no 

 light on the origin of the more specialised domesticated 

 breeds, such as mastiffs, spaniels, hounds, and terriers, all 

 of which are quite unlike any wild species, and have 

 evidently undergone a long course of modification, dating 

 back in some cases for hundreds if not thousands of years. 

 To trace the pedigree of such breeds is probably quite 

 impossible, although the investigations of archaeologists 

 and palaeontologists are most important in proving the 

 extreme antiquity of the domestication of the dog. Ancient 

 monuments show that at a very early period domesticated 

 dogs were differentiated into two very distinct breeds — 

 namely, those which hunt by scent like hounds, and 

 those which, hke greyhounds, depend upon sight in the 

 chase ; and when once these were established further 

 modifications would doubtless have soon arisen if attention 

 was paid to breeding. Many of these breeds and strains 

 were doubtless produced by crossing those derived from 

 different wild species, by which means all trace of the 

 original ancestry would gradually have been lost. 



In the Roman period not only were sight-hounds and 

 scent-hounds fully differentiated, but there were also various 

 kinds of lap-dogs and house-dogs, although none quite like 

 our modern breeds. Even as far back as about 3000 b.c. 

 Egyptian frescoes show not only greyhound-like breeds, 

 but one with drooping ears like a hound, and a third 

 which has been compared to the modern turnspit ; while 

 house-dogs and lap-dogs came in soon afterwards. Whether 

 any of these are the direct ancestors of modern breeds, or 

 whether all such have been produced by subsequent cross- 

 ing, is a very difficult question to answer, more especially 

 when we recollect that if an ancient Egyptian artist had 



