98 THE MASTIFF DURING ELIZABETH'S REIGN. 



accepting the reputed Ursine parentage, induced no doubt 

 partly through reading the classical mention of dogs being 

 crossed with tigers in Hyrcania, and lions in Arcadia. 



By some, Cains has been set down as merely a credulous 

 canine biographist, but we 'must bear in mind that he was 

 writing at a time when monsters were universally believed in. 

 And with regard to the canis nrcanns or supposed hybrid 

 between bandog and bear in 1582, M. Pierre Bonaistarau 

 published at Paris, his " Histories Prodigieuses," giving a 

 cut and curious account of one of these supposed ursine dogs. 



This is mentioned in the Penny Cyclopaedia, under the 

 article Bear. It appears M. Bonaistarau had visited England 



during Elizabeth's reign, and was shown two clogs asserted 

 to be a cross between bandog and bear, and both of which 

 were presented to the Marquis de Trans; one of which he 

 gave to Le Compte d' Alpenstan, the other he took to France, 

 and it was from the latter Bonaistarau gives his representation. 

 He states that the animal was extremely savage, and in form 

 between bear and dog. the former being the sire. 



What these supposed hybrids really were it is now difficult 

 to pronounce, without doubt the one in question is represented 

 somewhat bear-like in appearance ; there is a copy of it given 

 in the Museum of Animated Nature, No. 8^.0., and if the cut 

 is to be trusted, 1 should suspect the animal was no hybrid 

 dog, but some species of bear : the drawing however is 

 plainly very rough, disproportionate, and evidently not to be 

 relied on. It is possible that these canes urcani were some 

 foreign dog, possibly the rough coated mastiff of Thibet, 

 which not being well-known at that time, were mistaken for 

 a hybrid between the mastiff and bear, their long wavy black 

 coats not being unfavourable to such a conclusion on the 



