On Indian Dogs, 9 



our dogs, but fland ere<St, and are large and (!iarp-pointed. 

 He has a long fmall fnoiit, and very (harp noife *. His bark- 

 ing is more like the howling of the wolf. When attacked, 

 and when fighting, he does not (hake his antagonift, like our 

 dogs. His teeth are very fliarp, and his bite fure. Whea 

 he fnarls, which he is wont to do upon the llighteft occafion, 

 he draws the fkin from hrs mouth back, prefenting all his 

 teeth to view. Our dogs, when once attacked by thefe In- 

 dian dogs, always fear and fliun them. It is a very curious 

 circuniftance, that the Indian dog will never attack or purfue 

 the wolf, which the common dogs fo readily do. This fa6l 

 feems to point very ftrongly to the origin of the American 

 animal. For the pnrpofes of hunting, the Indian dogs are 

 very ufeful ; but, in other refpefts, they are by no means fo 

 docile as the common dogs. They have lefs fidelity ; for, 

 though never fo well fed, they will fteal from their mailers f. 

 In fhort, every thing {hows tliat the Indian dog is a much 

 more favage or imperfectly reclaimed animal than the com- 

 mon dog. 



If my information has been correct, this fpecies or breed is 

 ftill preferved in the greateft purity among the Six Nations, 

 from whom the Delawares acknowledge that they received it. 

 The Delawares call this dog L-nchum, or lenrJ-cbum, which 

 fignifies " the original beaTt." The Nanlicokes call him 

 ihn-iuallum ; the Mahicans, annufi-nefn-dee-a-oo, or '* the 

 original dog," to diftinguifh him from our common dogs, 

 which they call fimply dee-a-co, or de-a-ao. 



Thefe appellations fhow that the Indians confider their 

 wolf dog as a native of the country, and tiiat they are not 

 incapable of difcerning the difterences between this ani'mal 

 and the greater number of the varieties of dogs which have 

 been introduced into America by the Europeans. 



The origin of the Indian dog is a queftion of much more 

 difficulty than fome naturalifts have imagined. Thus, Mr. 

 Lawfon feems to fuppofe that the dogs which he fiw among 

 the Indians of North Carolina were nierely wolves, " madie 

 tame with ftarving and beating J." This is eafy natural hif- 

 tory. Mr. Pennant, as we have already fecn, fuppofcd that 

 the dog of North America wiis derived from the waif, tamed 



• Some perforis inform mc, that many of tlic Indian dogs have a large 

 white fpot upon the breaft. 



+ This :ircrtion, I muft confcf;, is oppofccl by the tcftimony of fome 

 v.ritjrs. Thus Carver fays, the Indian dogs arc " remarkable for tlieir 

 lidclity to their mafters; but, btinp ill fed by thctn, are very troublefomc 

 in their huts or tents." Travels, &c. p. 4i_6. 



\ A New Voyage, &r. p. jR. 



B 4 and 



