BEASTS OF PREY 39 



" Use for a definite purpose " has been man's guiding principle in the 

 breeding of the different races of dogs. Thus, if he required an assistant 

 in the chase, he would take with him the dog who had the " best 

 nose." From the descendants of this animal he again selected those 

 endowed with the keenest scent, and so, by degrees, the pointer was 

 developed. In this selection, however, whim, inclination or a predilection 

 for particular forms played a secondary yet by no means inferior part. 

 Thus, if he took a special liking for long-haired dogs, he would devote 

 special care to such, always selecting from their descendants those with 

 longest hairs for further breeding. Thus in the course of some thousands 

 of years our poodle may have come into existence. By means of this 

 constant selection the development of all our various breeds of dogs may be 

 explained, as ivell as the varieties of all our other domestic animals, and 

 exactly the same method is still employed at the present day. 



Man even went so far in this process of selection as to breed races 

 endowed with qualities actually disadvantageous to the animals in a 

 wild state, races which, without his protection, would be able to 

 sustain themselves with difficulty or not at all. Thus, we have breeds 

 of dogs with long hanging ears, with their lower jaw projecting far 

 beyond the upper (bulldog), with curled-up tails, etc. When such dogs, 

 however, return to a state of nature and are obliged to seek their own 

 food, they lose these disadvantageous characters. Their descendants 

 again come to resemble the original parent stock. The semi-savage dogs 

 of Eastern countries and the dingo of Australia (which is also a dog 

 returned to the wild state) have again, in the course of time, acquired 

 erect ears, pointed muzzles and extended tails. The number of dog 

 varieties is uncommonly large. We are all acquainted with the crooked- 

 legged dachshund, the fleet-footed greyhound, the gentle Newfoundland, 

 the snarly bulldog, the watchful sheepdog, the lazy pug, the powerful 

 mastiff, the tiny little lap-dog, the clever poodle, the faithful Pomeranian, 

 the keen-scented sporting dog, and many more. 



B. The Dog as the Friend and Helpmate of Man. 



Wherever on the earth we find man, there too we meet the dog. The 

 services it renders to man are as numerous as are the breeds of this 

 animal. Now acting as a faithful guardian of house and hearth ; now as 

 a careful protector of the flock ; an untiring attendant of the chase after 

 every kind of game, and the most inveterate enemy of its own nearest 

 relations, the wild species of the dog and cat families ; a good-natured 

 playmate of the children and the faithful companion of its master. It 

 even submits patiently to be harnessed to a cart, although its movable 



