22 



DOMESTICATED ANIMALS 



about by a process of selection having for its unconscious end 

 the development of a breed which should render the herds- 

 man of horned cattle something like the assistance which 

 the shepherd-dog gave to those who had charge of flocks. 

 In the more primitive state of our bulls and cows the creat- 

 ures were much wilder than at present, and were generally 

 kept, not in enclosed pastures, but on unfenced ranges. In 



Bull-Dog 



these conditions the care taken needed the help which the 

 ancestors of our modern bull-dog afforded. The tasks which 

 the animal was called on to perform were of a ruder nature 

 than those which were allotted to the shepherd-dog. Their 

 business was to conquer the unruly beast. They were taught 

 to seize the muzzle, and by the pain they thus inflicted they 

 could subdue even the fiercer small bulls of the ancient type 

 of form. From this original use the cattle-dogs were turned 

 to the brutal sport of bull-baiting, a rude diversion which was 

 indulged in by our ancestors for centuries, and has only dis- 



