Native American, or Indian Dogs. 5 



particularly mentioned by the Jesuit Joseph Acosta*, 

 and other of the earlier visitors of America. The 

 Alco had a melancholy aspect, and was perfectly mute, 

 or dumb. Hernandez speaks of it as being similar, 

 in nature and manners, to the common dogs of Eu- 

 rope, and not very different m formf. It is remark- 

 able that Linnaeus has taken no notice of this species, 

 though he so frequently refers to the work of Her- 

 nandez. Mr. de Buffon has confounded it with the 

 Itzcnintepotzotli, or next species, from which, how- 

 ever, it appears to have been distinct^:. Gmelin, 

 who has fallen into a similar mistake (though the 

 words of Hernandez are sufficiently plain), considers 

 the Alco as a variety of the Canis familiaris, or faith- 

 ful dog. He calls it Canus familiaris, Americanus. 

 Although I have little doubt, that' the Alco was a true 

 canis|!, I think it is too slightly mentioned or des- 



* The Naturall and Morall Historie of the East and West- 

 Indies, &c, p. 301, 302. English translation. London: 1604. 



t Historic Animalium et Mineralium Novx Hispanix Liber 

 Unicus, &c, p. 6, 7. 



\ Histoire Naturelle, &c, torn. xxx. p. 200, Sec. 



|| Independent of the testimony of Hernandez, there would 

 seem to be very little doubt, that the alco was a true species of 

 canis, and, indeed, very similar to some of our small house-dogs. 

 The Spaniards, according to Clavigero, gave it the name of Perro y 

 which signifies a dog; and Acosto observes, that the Indians 

 called all the dogs which were brought from Spain, Alco, from 

 the resemblance between them and their native animal. It is 

 probable, that the Indians in some parts of South-America had 

 afterwards (perhaps when the alco became either very rare, or 

 extinct) adopted the Spanish word Pero, for dog. The Jaioi (in 

 Guiana) used this word, at least as early as 1633. De Laet's 

 Novus Orbis, p. 643. 



