4 Some Account of the 



the discover}' of this portion of the world by the 

 Europeans*. Mr. Pennant, one of these naturalists, 

 remarks, " as it is certain that the dog of North- 

 America, or rather its substitute, on its first disco- 

 very by the English, was derived from the wolf, 

 tamed and domesticated, so it is reasonable to ima- 

 gine that of South- America had the same originf." 

 I do not think it sufficiently ascertained, that there 

 were not originally, in America, any species of dog 

 of the same stock as those of the old world. It has 

 not yet been proved, that the dog of Newfoundland, 

 of which I am afterwards to make more particular 

 mention, was unknown in that island, before its dis- 

 covery by the Europeans. But admitting that the 

 Newfoundland species or variety originated from an 

 admixture of the European dog with the wolf, or 

 some other native animal of the country, it will still 

 appear somewhat probable, that the Indian dogs, in 

 many other parts of America, were not specifically 

 different from those of the old world. This question 

 is well worthy of the attention of the naturalist, and 

 is even entitled to the notice of the civil historian 

 of the new world. 



TECHICHI, OR ALCO. 



In Mexico and in South-America, there was a 

 small species of dog, which the Mexicans called Te- 

 ch'icbi, and the Peruvians, Allco, or Alco. This is 



* Acosta, Gomara, Ilerrera, Joannes Fabri, Buffon, Pennant, 

 kc M 8cc. 



t History of Quadrupeds. Vol. i. p. 237. 



