OTHER FOREIGN DOGS 251 



as a squirrel. Their habit was to hide in the trunks 

 of trees ; they were also adepts at burrowing. The 

 Chihuahua is a remarkably game little creature. In 

 type and conformation he is very similar to the 

 English Bull Terrier, being smooth-coated and 

 possessing a * whip ' tail, but he is longer in body, 

 yet he has wonderful spring of rib. He is somewhat 

 apple-headed, weaker in jaw and fuller in eye than 

 the Bull Terrier, but in general type is a very similar 

 dog. The process of reclamation in their native 

 country has involved outcrosses with the small dogs of 

 contiguous districts with some of the hairless speci- 

 mens, no doubt which, with the very hot climate, 

 accounts for some of the Chihuahuas being born 

 almost hairless." The Bull Terrier analogy must 

 not, however, be pushed too far in speaking of these 

 tiny creatures, for the head is of a round shape, the 

 muzzle short and pointed, while the large ears are 

 carried upright at a wide angle. The correct pro- 

 nunciation, which is naturally puzzling to the un- 

 learned, is Chi-wa-wa. It is not unusual to find one 

 weighing less than 5 Ib. 



Another very diminutive specimen of the canine 

 race, perhaps even smaller than the last-mentioned, 

 is the Papillon, or Butterfly Dog, so called from the 

 carriage and shape of the ear. Again the skull is 

 round, the tail is carried over the back, and the 

 silky coat is a chestnut -brown with white markings 

 on face and chest. It looks very much like a long- 

 haired Chihuahua, which may give some foundation 

 to the belief that it traces its descent to silky-haired 

 pets brought by the Spaniards from Mexico in the 

 sixteenth century. Although much in favour on the 

 Continent it is little known here. One was depicted 



