225 



THE DOG AND ITS ANCESTORS. 



That the domestic dog has been held in having a round pupil in the eye and a 

 high esteem by mankind from the earliest short tail. Second, the foxes, which are 

 times, is shown by written records and characterized by a slit-like pupil and a 

 mummified remains obtained from coun- long bushy tail ; and, third, the long-eared 

 tries situated widely apart. The state- dogs which inhabit eastern deserts and 

 ment occurs in the Zendavesta, that "the possess more numerous and a different 

 world exists through the intellect of the set of teeth than the other groups. Con- 

 dog." Cuvier wrote that "the dog is the sidered as a family they are distinguished 

 completest, the most singular and the by a lean body, small head, the slim or 

 most useful conquest that man has ever long legs terminated by small paws fur- 

 made * * * each individual is devoted nished with strong but not retractile 

 to man and remains attached to him even claws. The fore paws usually have five 

 unto death ; and all this springs not from toes while the hind paws are always lim- 

 necessity nor from fear, but from a true ited to four. As the dogs do not live ex- 

 friendship. The dog is the only animal clusively on animal food they are not as 

 that has followed man all over the globe." savage as the cats, neither do they pos- 



Egyptians monuments dating back sess the "soulless expression of face so 



3,400 years B. C, show several varieties characteristic of the felidae." 



of dogs, most of them being allied to the While most of the dog family are 



greyhound. Carved records of a later gregarious, certain forms lead lives that 



period portray the mastiff, a turnspit and are solitary or nearly so. Other species 



a form closely resembling the hound. are nocturnal in their habits, while yet 



Without question the dog was domesti- others burrow in the earth for shelter or 



cated in Europe previous to any histori- protection. All bend the joints of the 



cal record. His remains are found in the legs in walking, all possess great speed 



kitchen-middens of Neolithic times and and endurance, and without exception 



an increasing size in the animals is no- are good swimmers. 



ticed through the Bronze and Iron ages Intellectually, dogs are more highly de- 



in Denmark. Remains of the Neolithic veloped than any other brute animal, 



in Switzerland disclose skulls closely re- Many forms act with a rational delibera- 



sembling our hounds, setters or spaniels. tion and follow carefully thought-out 



The Americans had indigenous dogs be- plans. The senses are wonderfully devel- 



fore the conquering Spaniards introduced oped. The sense of smell is marvelous 



European species, and mummies of dogs in many forms, while strength of eyesight 



are found in the oldest Peruvian tombs. distinguishes others. 



All this goes to show that the differen- Of the three groups mentioned, the 



tiation of the dog took place at a very wolf without question was the ancestor 



early date. As in the case of man, the of the domestic dog. In the German 



link is missing, but the ancestry is cer- mythology, he was consecrated to the 



tain. Without question the varieties of god Woden, but when Christianity recon- 



the dog originated in domestication and structed old beliefs, Woden was meta- 



inter-breeding of different species of morphosed into "The Wild Hunter," and 



wolves living in various parts of the the wolves became his attending dogs, 



world. which finally were evolved into the 



The dog family is divided into three ghost-like wolves of nursery and fable, 



groups. First, the wolves or wild dogs, The wolf has all the attributes of the dog 



