MACEENZiE DOG.] THE DOG, AND ITS VARIETIES; [pomeeanian dog. 



white, with something of a yellow tinge ; but 

 some are brindled, some black and white, and 

 some black. 



THE MACKENZIE RIVER DOG. 



If the Esquimaux dog resembles the grey 

 wolf of North America, equally does the Hare 

 Indian's or Mackenzie Eiver dog resemble the 

 fox. This dog {Canis familiaris, var. Ingopus) 

 is characterised by a narrow, elongated, and 

 pointed muzzle; by erect, sharp ears, and by 

 a bushy tail, not carried erect, but only 

 slightly curved upwards, and by the general 

 slenderness of the form. The hair is fine and 

 silky, thickening in winter, when it becomes 

 white, or nearly so; but in summer it is 

 marked by patches of greyish black or slate- 

 grev, intermingled with shades of brown. So 

 nearly does this dog resemble the arctic fox 

 of the regions where it is found, that they 

 have been considered merely as varieties of each 

 other, one being of the wild, the other of the 

 domesticated race. The Hare Indian's dog 

 is never known to bark in its native country ; 

 and the beautiful pair brought to England by 

 Sir John Erankliu and Dr. Eichardsou, never 

 acquired this canine language. One born in 

 the Zoological Gardens, however (the pair 

 in question having been presented to the 

 Society), readily learned it, and made his voice 

 sound as loudly as any European dog of his 

 size and age. 



This variety is of great value to the natives 

 of the bleak and dreary realms where the 

 moose and the reindeer are objects of the chase. 

 Though it has not strength fitting it for pulling 

 down such game, yet its broad feet and light 

 make, enable it to run over the snow without 

 sinking, if the slightest crust be formed on it, 

 and thus easily to overtake the moose and the 

 reindeer, and keep them at bay until the hunters 

 come up. In the fox the pupil of the eye is ob- 

 long ; in the dog, circular ; but, independently of 

 this, it is, to say the least, highly improbable 

 that this intelligent dog is specifically identical 

 with the arctic fox. If, for the sake of argu- 

 ment, however, we grant that it is, as some 

 contend, and also that the Esquimaux dog is 

 identical with the wolf, other dogs also being 

 reclaimed wolves, we are involved in a dilemma ; 

 for we must then admit that thy wolf and fox 



will breed together, and produce a fertile ofi"- 

 spring, which those who contend for the wolfish 

 origin of the dog by no means will allow to be 

 possible. 



THE POMERANIAN, OR WOLF-DOG. 



The Pomeranian, or wolf-dog {chien-loup), 

 and the Siberian dog, the Lapland dog, and 

 the Iceland dog, of Buffou, appear to be 

 closely related to the E.squimaux dog. BuiFon 

 regards them as varieties of the shepherd's 

 dog, which he considers to be that which, of 

 all, is nearest the primitive type, since, as he 

 observes, in all inhabited countries, whether 

 men be partially savage or civilised, dogs re- 

 sembling this more than any other are spread ; 

 and he attributes its preservation to its utility, 

 and its being abandoned to the peasantry 

 charged with the care of flocks. If, however, 

 great cerebral development and intelligence 

 are to be received as tests of cultivation, we 

 should be inclined to regard the shepherd's dog 

 as one of the most remote from the original 

 wild type, sharp and pointed as are its nose 

 and ears. The forehead of the Pomeranian 

 dog rises ; the top of the head is arched and 

 broad between the ears, and the hair is long, 

 and sometimes matted. This dog is of middle 

 size, but light, active, and strong. 



Mr. Touatt, in his treatise on The Dog, says, 

 the Pomeranian, or " wolf-dog, is no longer a 

 native of Britain, because his services are not 

 required there ; but he is useful, in various 

 parts of the continent, in the protection of the 

 sheep from the attacks of the wolf. A pair of 

 these dogs was brought to the Zoological 

 Society of London, in 1S33, and there long 

 remained an ornament to the gardens. They 

 appeared to possess a considerable degree of 

 strength, but to be too gentle to contend with 

 so powerful and ferocious an animal as the 

 wolf They were mostly covered with white 

 or grey, or, occasionally, black hair, short on 

 the head, ears, and feet, but long and silky on 

 the body and tail. The forehead is elevated, 

 and the muzzle lengthened, and clothed with 

 short hair. The attachment of this dog to his 

 master and the flock is very great ; and he has 

 not lost a particle of his sagacity; but, where 

 wolves are common, is still used as a sheep- 

 do-." 



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