INTRODUCTION. 83 



many plants are found in a wild state that man 

 appears to have carried with him in his devious 

 migrations ; and wild animals still exist, that may 

 perhaps justly claim to be of the typical species first 

 brought under human subjection; in that remote 

 region, a wild dog, the Buansu (Canis primcevus)^ 

 is pointed out by him as the primitive species of 

 the whole canine race. Another writer (Professor 

 Kretschmer), in describing the most interesting 

 mammalia of the Frankfort museum, chiefly col- 

 lected by the indefatigable Ruppel, notices a jackal 

 {Canis anthus^ F. Cuv.) as the type of the dogs of 

 ancient Egypt ; and referring to the antique carved 

 and painted figures in the temples, and a skull taken 

 ^from the catacombs of Lycopolis, shows the resem- 

 blance to be so great, that their identity cannot well 

 be denied. 



More recently Mr Bell, in his History of British 

 Quadrupeds, is inclined to conclude that the wolf is 

 the original stock whence domesticated dogs are 

 derived : for this purpose, that gentleman observes, 

 " It is necessary to ascertain to what type the ani- 

 mal approaches most nearly, after having for many 

 successive generations existed in a wild state, re- 

 moved from the influence of domestication and 

 association with mankind. Now we find that there 

 are several diflorent instances of the existence of 

 dogs in such a state of wildness as to have lost even 

 that common character of domestication, variety of 

 colour and marking; of these, two very remark- 

 able ones are the Dhole of India and the Dingo of 



