i48 FLESH-EATERS OF THE LAND 



or black, and its tongue is blue-black in colour. The Dog 

 is better off in England than in its native home, for John 

 Chinaman views it as a special delicacy, and fattens it up for 

 the table. 



It must be remembered that all the different ' breeds ' are 

 purely artificial, and if a number of mastiffs, greyhounds, 

 bulldogs, poodles, terriers, &c., were landed upon an 

 island where they could obtain food, but would not see a 

 human being, in a few years all the ' breeds ' would vanish, 

 and in a few more their descendants would revert to the wolf- 

 like semi-wild Dog, which still infests the cities of the East. 



To return, however, to the original stock of this useful 

 animal. There are evidences that the Domestic Dog existed 

 among the prehistoric savages of Europe, and in some of 

 the ancient nations was worshipped as a god. May we not 

 believe that when man 'went out to till the ground from 

 which he was taken ' the Dog was expressly given to him as 

 his assistant and ally? Of all animals the Dog alone is 

 identified with its master's interests and pursuits ; other 

 animals may be said to endure his dominion, but the Dog 

 is one of the family, knows his looks, his voice, his walk, 

 rejoices at his approach, solicits his notice, and defends his 

 person. 



ESKIMO DOG (Cam's familiaris var.). 

 Plate XII. Fig. i. 



This variety of Dog deserves extended notice if only 

 because it is a necessity of life in the northern regions. Its 

 size is about that of a mastiff, and it has a firm, muscular 

 figure, thick furry hair, and bushy tail curled over its back. 

 When it sleeps, it can curl its tail over its nose, tuck its feet 

 under its body, and be warm during its repose amid an 

 intenseness of cold that words can scarcely convey. Besides 

 possessing this thick coat, the Eskimo Dog is an astonish- 

 ingly hardy animal, capable of sustaining life under condi- 

 tions that any other breed would find intolerable. 



Inhabiting the arctic regions of the American continent 

 and the adjacent islands, the Eskimo look to their Dogs for 

 assistance in the pursuit of the seal, the bear, or the rein- 



