THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



41 



pulling sledges and for hunting musk-ox and 

 Polar bear which are overtaken and held at 

 bay until the hunters arrive. 



NORTH GREENLAND ESKIMO DOG 



(For lllustratioti, see paye 47) 



Polaris was chosen as our model of this 

 type because he lias been considered the most 

 perfect North Greenland Eskimo dog known. 

 He shows the light color so prevalent among 

 the dogs of the extreme north on both conti- 

 nents, and the marked depth and breadth of 

 muzzle. This seems to be a characteristic of 

 many Asiatic dogs, the Chow and Tibetan 

 mastiff notably, and may point to an Asiatic 

 connection with Greenland via the Polar ice 

 or across Arctic America. There is a heavy, 

 pale buff, deep-jawed dog found along the 

 Arctic coast of America from the eastern to 

 the western extent of land. 



No white man living has had more experi- 

 ence with this breed than Admiral Robert E. 

 Peary, who frankly admits that if it had not 

 been for the sledge dogs he never would have 

 discovered the North Pole. He is a firm be- 

 liever in the pure-bred North Greenland Eski- 

 mo, which is practically a domesticated wolf, 

 and most of the dogs which went to the Pole 

 were of this type. 



A puppy from these famous animals, secured 

 by one of the coauthors of tliis article from 

 Admiral Peary, was named "Polaris," and he 

 developed into what Captain "Bob" Bartlett 

 declared to be the finest living specimen of the 

 breed. 



Polaris weighed about 100 pounds, but looked 

 much larger, owing to his wonderful coat, 

 which at its best measured nine inches long on 

 the shoulder. The hair of the tail was 12^ 

 inches long. He took to the sledge and to the 

 pack-saddle without any training whatever, and 

 pulled a sledge three miles thrnugh deep snow 

 the first time he was put in harness. 



He was extremely gentle and affectionate 

 with people and with a little Scotch terrier of 

 ours, but a devil incarnate toward everytliing 

 else that walked, flew, or swam. From grass- 

 hoppers and wild mice, through cats and pigs 

 to sheep and cattle, there was nothing he could 

 not or did not kill. Yet such was the magic of 

 his smile, the twinkle of his eye, and the wheed- 

 ling wave of his tail, that no one would believe 

 anything against him unless he was caught in 

 the act, which he usually w'asn't. 



He was finally presented to Dr. Wilfred 

 Grenfell, and celebrated his arrival in Labrador 

 by whipping every other dog in sight. 



SAMOYED 



(Par itlustratioti. see paijc fo) 



Due largely to the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. 

 E. Kilburn Scott, of Kent. England, the fine 

 and picturesque Samoyed has become well es- 

 tablished and pretty generally known both in 

 England and America. 



In appearance he is between a white spitz 

 dog and a white Eskimo; in character he is one 

 of the very nicest of dogs. He is of medium 

 size, weighing about 40 pounds. 



He has a little of the width of jaw that char- 

 acterizes the Chow and other Asiatic types, and 

 has the characteristic of all Arctic dogs of car- 

 rying his tail in a chrysanthemuni-Iike pompom 

 on his back. The fine dark eye, alertly pricked 

 ear, and deep, soft, white coat make him every- 

 where a conspicuous favorite. The feet are 

 well protected from the cold by thick fur be- 

 tween the toes, almost covering the black pads. 



While the dogs bred in England and America 

 are all of the pure while or pale creamy type, 

 black, black and white, and brown and white 

 dogs are found among the wandering Samoyed 

 people of Siberia and the Arctic shores of 

 Russia and Nova Zembla. 



The Samoyed is a compact, staunch little 

 sledge dog, used by the Samoyed, a semi- 

 nomadic race living in northeastern Russia and 

 Siberia. These people keep herds of reindeer, 

 and some of the dogs are used in rounding up 

 and driving these animals, much as collies are 

 used in caring for sheep and cattle. 



CHOW 



(For illustration, see paije joj 



Though there are two types of Chow in 

 China, whence we got it, the smooth type has 

 never been popular here nor in England, and 

 may be ignored in this connection. The rough 

 or common Chow is a most attractive and dis- 

 tinctive dog of medium size, always "whole" 

 colored; red, black, brown, blue, or "smoke," 

 cream or white. The red and "smoke" are the 

 favorites among breeders and owners ; the 

 darker and purer the color the better. 



Perliaps no do.g has more individuality, nor 

 knows his own mind better tlian the Chow. He 

 is frisky, playful, intelligent, and willing to 

 obey his master implicitly; the rest of earth's 

 population has no interest for him whatever. 

 Tliose the artist has known were entirely tol- 

 erant of his presence, and even his caresses, in 

 their own home or when their master was with 

 them elsewhere. Off the porch or on the street 

 they will not so much as notice a stranger, ex- 

 cept that it is impossible to put a hand on them 

 or elicit a glimmer of recognition. Of all dogs 

 they are the most consistently a "one-man" 

 type. 



The Chow has several real peculiarities, 

 among which the most pronounced is the pur- 

 plish black interior of tlic mouth, including the 

 tongue. He is a very cobby dog, standing on 

 four exceedingly straight legs. He is straighter 

 in the stifle than any other dog. The muzzle 

 should be short, the head square and massive, 

 with a sort of scowl or frown that is helped 

 by the widely set eyes. 



The fur is very dense and deep, with a sepa- 

 rate underfur like that of the Eskimo or other 

 .\rctic dogs, from which the Chow is sup- 

 posedly derived. It also has the wide cliops, 

 small eye, and curly tail of his congeners. 



