VARIETIES OF THE DOG. 



101 



every part of the country, and destroyed the greater portion of the former 

 inhabitants. 



Las Casas, a Catholic priest, and whose life was employed in endeavouring 

 to mitigate the sufferings of the original inhabitants, says that " it was re- 

 solved to march against the Indians, who had fled to the mountains, and 

 they were chased like wild beasts, with the assistance of bloodhounds, who 

 had been trained to a thirst for human blood, so that before I had left the 

 island it had become almost entirely a desert." 



THE ICELAND DOG. 



The head is rounder than that of the northern dogs ; the ears partly erect 

 and partly pendent ; and the fur soft and long, especially behind the fore 

 legs and on the tail. It much resembles the Turkish dog removed to a 

 colder climate. 



This dog is exceedingly useful to the Icelanders while travelling over the 

 snowy deserts of the north. By a kind of intuition he rarely fails in choosing 

 the shortest and the safest course. He also is more aware than his master 

 of the approach of the snow storms ; and is a most valuable ally against the 

 8 1 tack of the Polar bear, who, drifted on masses of ice from the neigh- 

 bouring continent, often commits depredations among the cattle, and even 

 attacks human beings. When the dog is first aware of the neighbourhood 

 of the bear, he sets up a fearful howl, and men and dogs hasten to hunt 

 down and destroy the depredator. 



The travelling in Iceland is sometimes exceedingly dangerous at the 

 beginning of the winter. A thin layer of snow covers and conceals some 

 of the chasms with which that region abounds. Should the traveller fall 

 into one of them, the dog proves a most useful animal ; for he runs imme- 

 diately across the snowy waste, and, by his howling, induces the traveller's 

 friends to hasten to his rescue. 



THE TERRIER. 



The forehead is convex ; the eye prominent ; the muzzle pointed ; the 

 t ail thin and arched ; the fur short ; the ears of moderate size, half erect, 

 and usually of a deep-black colour, with a yellow spot over the eyes. It 

 is an exceedingly useful animal ; but not so indispensable an accompani- 

 ment to a pack of fox-hounds as it used to be accounted. Foxes are not 

 ,so often unearthed as they formerly were, yet many a day's sport would be 

 ]ost without the terrier. Some sportsmen used to have two terriers accom- 

 panying in the pack, one being smaller than the other. This was a very 

 proper provision ; a large terrier might be incapable of penetrating into 

 r.he earth, and a small one might permit the escape of the prey. Many 

 rerriers have lost their lives by scratching up the earth behind them, and 

 ?,hus depriving themselves of all means of retreat. 



The coat of the terrier may be either smooth or rough ; the smooth-haired 

 ones are more delicate in appearance, and are somewhat more exposed to 

 injury or accident ; but in courage, sagacity, and strength, there is very 

 little difference if the dogs are equally well bred. The rough terrier pos- 

 sibly obtained his shaggy coat from the cur, and the smooth terrier may 

 derive his from the hound. 



The terrier is seldom of much service until he is twelve months old ; and 



