224 



to that country gave the name of dog to the 

 fechici,* a dumb animal^ resembling the dog ia 

 its appearance, but of a very different genus. 

 This external resemblance has given rise event- 

 ually to the opinion that the American dogs never 

 bark J and many naturalists, who incautiously 

 adopt this error, have been the means of perpet- 

 uating it to the present day. Another opinion, 

 equally destitute of foundation, is, that the Eu- 

 ropean dogs that were left on the island of Juan 

 Fernandez, at the time it was uninhabited, had 

 lost their voices, and were unable to bark, which 

 I have been well assured by the present inhabit- 

 ants is an utter falsehood. 



The erroneous names given to particular 

 animals, uiany of which are still retained, have 

 proved very injurious to the natural history ot 

 America. From this source have proceeded 

 those visionary hypothesis of the degeneracy ot 

 its quadrupeds, the supposed Utile stags, bears, 

 and boars of thiit country, considered as so manv 

 pigmy breeds, although they have no other con- 

 nection Willi tlie pretended primitive race than 

 these iil-applied names. A very respectable 

 modern author mentions as a proof of this de- 

 generacy, tile ant-eater, called by some authors 

 the ant-bear, and considered as a degenerate spe- 



'^ TIic or; b- a'or, or dog crab-tatcr, so called from its fted- 

 iii^' f:;iiicip J _\ ujM'i; cnil?. 



