J3tctt0nari) of llmmatetJ flature. 185 



still retains marked characteristics of the 

 predominance of the savage qualities de- 

 rived from its untamed progenitors, in the 

 keen and vivid expression of the eye, fero- 

 city of disposition, and severity of bite. It 

 is also a singular fact, that the race of 

 European Dogs evince as great an antipathy 

 to the Esquimaux species as they do to a 

 wolf. 



In Mr. Bell's History of British Quadru- 

 peds this subject is discussed at considerable 

 length, and with much freedom. " It may 

 not be uninteresting," says our author, " to 

 j examine what is the real state of the ques- 

 ; tion, as it regards the original form, from 

 which all the numerous varieties of theDoo 

 have sprung. In order to come to any 

 ; rational conclusion on this head, it will be 

 necessary to ascertain to what type the 

 animal approaches most nearly, after hav- 

 ing for many successive generations existed 

 in a wild state, removed from the influence 

 of domestication, and of association with 

 mankind. Now we find that there are seve- 

 ral different instances of the existence of 

 Dogs in such a state of wildness as to have 

 lost even that common character of domes- 

 tication, variety of colour and marking. Of 

 these, two very remarkable ones are the 

 Dhole of India, and the Dingo of Australia ; 

 there is, besides, a half-reclaimed race 

 amongst the Indians of North America, and 

 another, also partially tamed, in South 

 America, which deserve attention : and it ia { 

 found that these races, in different degrees, 

 and in a greater degree as they are more 

 wild, exhibit the lank and gaunt form, the I 

 lengthened limbs, the long and slender j 

 muzzle, and the great comparative strength 

 which characterize the Wolf ; and that the 

 tail of the Australian Dog, which may be 

 considered as the most remote from domes- 

 tication, assumes the slightly bushy form of 

 that animal. 



" We have here, then, a considerable ap- 

 proximation to a well-known wild animal 

 of the same genus, in races which, though 

 doubtless descended from domesticated 

 ancestors, have gradually assumed the wild 

 condition ; and it is worthy of especial 

 remark, that the anatomy of the Wolf, and 

 its osteology in particular, does not differ 

 from the dogs in general, more than the 

 different kinds of dogs do from each other. 

 The cranium is absolutely similar, and so 

 are all, or nearly all, the other essential 

 parts ; and to strengthen still further the 

 probability of their identity, the Dog and 

 Wolf will readily breed together, and their 

 progeny is fertile. The obliquity in the 

 position of the eyes in the Wolf is one of the 

 characters in which it differs from the Dogs ; 

 and although it is very desirable not to rest 

 too much upon the effects of habit or struc- 

 ture, it is not perhaps straining the point, to 

 attribute the forward direction of the eyes 

 in the Dogs, to the constant habit, for many ! 

 successive generations, of looking forward 

 to their master, and obeying his voice. 



"A point of very considerable importance 

 in the question of the identity of species is 

 the period of gestation. This circumstance 

 ia so invariable in individuals of the same 



species, and so rarely the same in those which 

 are distinct, however nearly they may be 

 allied, that if, in this respect, two animals 

 be found to differ, it would be a strong 

 ground for doubting at least, perhaps even 

 for rejecting, the opinion of their identity ; 

 and, on the other hand, their absolute coin- 

 cidence on this point would afford a col- 

 lateral argument of equal force in its favour. 

 Buffon indeed relates an instance of the 

 Wolf, in which the period might possibly 

 have been seventy-three days ; but even on 



his own showing, it might have been no 

 more than sixty -three ; and certain circum- 

 stances detailed in the account afford strong 

 reason for believing this to have been the 

 case. Hunter, who instituted a series of 

 interesting and, as far as they went, im- 

 portant experiments, in order to ascertain 

 whether the Wolf and the Jackal would 

 respectively breed with the Dog, comes to 

 the conclusion, on finding the affirmative to 

 be true in both instances, that the Dog, the 

 Wolf, and the Jackal are of one species. 

 But he found that the period of the Jackal 

 is fifty-nine days, whilst that of the Wolf 

 is sixty-three days, the same as that of the 

 common Dog. Desmarest also gives sixty- 

 three days as the period of the Wolf. As 

 far as this character goes, therefore, it is in 

 favour of the identity of the Wolf and Dog, 

 and of the specific distinctness of the Jackal. 

 The conclusion which Hunter draws from 

 the fact that each of these wild animals will 

 breed with the Dog, and produce young 

 which are fertile again with the Dog, is, 

 however, not yet satisfactory ; and the 

 argument would be much stronger were it 

 proved that the progeny would breed with 

 each other, which has not at present been 

 done. It appears that in many other cases, 

 especially amongst birds, the hybrids will 

 breed with either of the parent species ; but 

 the more satisfactory experiment just pro- 

 posed remains to be tried ; and until this 

 has been done, the chain of evidence is 

 incomplete, and the validity of the argument 

 derived from the alleged fertility of progeny 

 is inconclusive." [Our author here details 

 some striking facts to prove that the sup- 

 posed untameable ferocity of the Wolf may 

 not merely be subdued, but that he may 

 become truly attached and friendly to those 

 who treat him with kindness.] 



" Upon the whole, the argument in favour 

 of the view which I have taken, that the 

 Wolf is probably the originator of all the 



