10 ANIMALS OF THE 



some other animals, and lives a shorter time, so 

 the chance for its varieties will be offered in 

 greater proportion. 



But which is the original animal, and which 

 the artificial or accidental variety, is a question 

 which, as was said, is not easily resolved. If the 

 internal structure of dogs of different sorts be 

 compared with each other, it will be found, ex- 

 cept in point of size, that in this respect they are 

 exactly the same. This, therefore, affords no 

 criterion. If other animals be compared with 

 the dog internally, the wolf and the fox will be 

 found to have the most perfect resemblance ; it 

 is probable, therefore, that the dog which most 

 nearly resembles the wolf or the fox externally, 

 is the original animal of its kind ; for it is natu- 

 ral to suppose, that as the dog most nearly re- 

 sembles them internally, so he may be near them 

 in external resemblance also, except where art or 

 accident has altered his form. This being sup- 

 posed, if we look among the number of varieties 

 to be found in the dog, we shall not find one so 

 like the wolf or the fox, as that which is called 

 the Shepherd's Dog. This is that dog with long 

 coarse hair on all parts except the nose, pricked 

 ears, and a long nose, which is common enough 

 among us, and receives his name from being prin- 

 cipally used in guarding and attending on sheep. 

 This seems to be the primitive animal of his 

 kind; and we shall be the more confirmed in 

 this opinion, if we attend to the different charac- 

 ters which climate produces in the animal, and 

 the different races of dogs which are propagated 



