CARNIVORA 67 



In a paper written by Dr Hector in 1876 on the "Remains of 

 a Dog found near White Cliffs, Taranaki," he says: "The remains 

 of a dog were found in a hollow tree which was imbedded in a cliff 

 (at a depth of 19 ft.) near the Urenui River." Captain Rowan, the 

 discoverer, and Dr Hector both seem to think that the dog must have 

 crept into the tree, at a comparatively recent date, for though the 

 lignite which occurred in one of the layers above the remains is of 

 great antiquity, the state of preservation of the bones, as compared 

 with the thorough alteration that the vegetable matter of the lignite 

 has undergone, inclines me to believe that the dog remains are of 

 modern origin. But even in that case, the circumstances under which 

 they have been found, and the decayed state of the dentine layer of 

 the teeth tend to refer them to a period further back than any pre- 

 viously obtained. 



Dr Hector states (1876) that a bitch and full grown pup were 

 known for several years in the densely wooded country between 

 Waikawa and the Mataura plains, and did great damage among the 

 flocks of sheep, but exhibited such cunning and daring that it was 

 not till after hunting them for two years that they were shot by Mr 

 Anderson, who presented them to the Colonial Museum. Of the 

 smaller specimen both skin and skeleton were taken to the British 

 Museum by Sir Geo. Grey, and the skin of the mother was pre- 

 served here, and has been recognised by many old Maoris as a genuine 

 Kurt or ancient Maori dog. 



In general appearance it resembles a poodle, but it presents 

 characters unlike any other of the many breeds of dogs which we 

 are familiar with. It is a large bodied dog with slender limbs, large 

 ears, and a straight half-bushed tail, wide head, and small pointed 

 nose. Its colour is white, with a black spot on the loins, and a brown 

 spot on the crown of the head, and a few faint spots on the ears. Its 

 nose is black, and its claws are white. The back is covered with hair. 

 The total length is 3 ft., and the height of the shoulder 17 inches. 



Taylor White writing in 1889, says: 



I consider these dogs entirely distinct from the European dog. For the 

 wild dogs met with on the Waimakariri River in the Alpine ranges of 

 Canterbury during the year 1856, were in colour and markings identical 

 with those found in the Alpine region of the Lake Wakatipu, Otago, in 

 1860, a distance of several hundred miles apart. There seems little room 

 to doubt that they were an original Maori dog. The fact of their wanting 

 the two tan spots over the eyes mostly seen in European dogs of approxi- 

 mate colour, is a very strong evidence also in favour of this opinion. 



The Maori dog has totally disappeared. Mr S. Percy Smith tells 

 me that the last one he heard of was about 1896. 



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