CHAPTER IV 



THE ORIGIN OF HOUNDS 



Most naturalists are of opinion that ib!e varieties of the 

 canine race are derived from the sheep-dog; that, 

 however, is a theory concerning which some doubt may 

 be expressed. There can, however, be no question 

 that originally there was but one variety, but of the 

 peculiar characters of that variety it is utterly im- 

 possible to form a decided opinion. The effects of 

 climate, domestication, food, and cultivation, have 

 wonderful influences on animals. It is therefore more 

 rational to come to the conclusion that the different 

 varieties have been produced by those means, than to 

 imagine that the animal we now term a sheep-dog was 

 the primitive parent. It would be equally reasonable 

 to suppose that the fox-hound, the blood-hound, the 

 pointer, the setter, the spaniel, the mastiff, or the grey- 

 hound, was the original and that the sheep-dog is 

 descended from one of them, as that all those classes 

 should be identified with the sheep-dog as the common 

 ancestor. The sheep-dogs of different countries differ 

 most essentially from each other. Take, for example, 

 the dogs used for this purpose in Scotland, called the 

 Colly, and compare them with the bob-tailed curs 

 which are known in England. Some authors go even 

 further than this, and argue that the dog was not 

 originally created, but that he sprang from the 

 domestication of the wolf, the jackal, or the fox. 



How can we reconcile such a theory when we bear in 

 mind that the wild, ferocious wolf is the avowed enemy 

 of man, and that the faithful dog is his constant, trusty 



