22 ANIMALS OF THE 



are far from fluctuating with the animal's mo- 

 tions. But of whatever kinds these dogs may be, 

 whether known among the ancients, or whether 

 produced by a later mixture* they are now almost 

 quite worn away, and are very rarely to be met 

 with even in Ireland. If carried to other coun- 

 tries, they soon degenerate ; and even at home, 

 unless great care be taken, they quickly alter. 

 They were once employed in clearing the island 

 of wolves, which infested it in great plenty j but 

 these being destroyed, the dogs also are wearing 

 away, as if nature meant to blot out the species 

 when they had no longer any services to perform. 

 " In this manner several kinds of animals fade 

 from the face of nature, that were once well 

 known, but are now seen no longer. The enor- 

 mous elk of the same kingdom, that, by its horns, 

 could not have been less than eleven feet high, 

 the wolf, and even the wolf dog, are extinct, or 

 only continued in such a manner as to prove their 

 former plenty and existence. From hence it is 

 probable that many of the nobler kinds of dogs, 

 of which the ancients have given us such beauti- 

 ful descriptions, are now utterly unknown ; since 

 among the whole breed we have not one that will 

 venture to engage the lion or the tiger in single 

 combat. The English bull-dog is perhaps the 

 bravest of the kind ; but what are his most boast- 

 ed exploits to those mentioned of the Epirotic 

 dogs by Pliny, or the Indian dogs by -ZElian ? The 

 latter gives us a description of a combat between 

 a dog and a lion, which I will take leave to tran- 

 slate. 



