THE CHIEF BREEDS OF DOGS 185 



" Doubtless it has a reason, for nothing is left to 

 chance in this world, not even the tuft of hair at the 

 tip of an animal's tail. I will tell you, then, that the 

 various wild species akin to the dog, jackals in par- 

 ticular, have, most of them, a white spot on the tip 

 of the tail. It is a sort of family trait which the dog, 

 their ally, perhaps their descendant, is sure to imi- 

 tate every time it admits any white into its coat. 

 Strange development ! If the dog comes, as is sup- 

 posed, from the jackal, it has lost its primitive sav- 

 agery, its bad odor, its nocturnal cries, and has faith- 

 fully retained from its ancestry only the plume at 

 the end of its tail. I will not undertake to explain 

 why, in a fundamental change of habits, one insignifi- 

 cant detail, a mere nothing, shows greater tenacity 

 and remains. 



' ' To the differences in color are added differences 

 in the quantity and quality of the hair. Most dogs 

 have short, smooth hair ; some have fine, curly hair, 

 and look as if clothed in wool. Such is the barbet, 

 also called sheep-dog, because its fur reminds one of 

 the curly fleece of a sheep. Others, like the spaniel, 

 have long and wavy hair, especially on the ears and 

 tail. Finally, there are some wretched, unsightly 

 dogs with the body entirely naked. One would think 

 that some skin disease had bereft them of their last 

 hair. They are called Turkish dogs. 



1 ' The size is not less variable. The Newfoundland 

 dog is a majestic animal, as large as a calf; and then 

 you will see a curly lap-dog, good for sleeping on 

 drawing-room cushions, so tiny a creature that it 



