2 ORIGIN OF THE DOG. 



Of the wolves themselves there are several distinct species, 

 and the same in foxes ; also various genera of hyaena all of 

 8P&nich may have offspring by the dog, yet the absurdity of any 

 idea of their all having one common origin is patent. Buffon 

 himself, although he mentions an instance of a wolf having 

 connexion with a dog, and progeny arising therefrom (vide 

 Buffon Nat. Hist, under heading mules) states the usual ster- 

 ility of such offspring, and the difficulty there is } with all mules 

 to procreate. Although it is just possible for them at times 

 to engender with one of their parent races, in which way the 

 nonsunthetical blood may be abscinded, yet mules will not 

 readily breed inter se. 



Aristotle in the VI th book 2oth chapter of his history of 

 Animals points out that the mule progeny of wolf and dog are 

 carried longer in the womb than the ordinary dog, and shorter 

 than the wolf, whereas the period of gestation 63 days never 

 varies in the true dog. 



However J have known exceptions to this, the normal period, 

 and modern investigation seems to prove that the wolf like 

 the dog goes only 63 days. 



Some naturalists affirm there is a slight, but decided differ- 

 ence in the conformity of the two species ; the osteology of the 

 wolf differing from that of the dog, but others deny this. A 

 marked difference however is that of the eye, the pupil of 

 which in all the true dogs is round, while in the wolf it is 

 oblique. 



The wild dogs of Africa and other countries hunting in packs 

 form another proof of the original distinct creation of the dog. 

 These together with the early existence of known and distinct 

 types, found figured on the earliest sculptures of Egypt and 



