52 o CARNIVORES. 



are generally of a mottled-grey colour, more or less mixed with white, but may 

 be black-and-tan, or even tan-and-white. 



All the breeds of sheep-dogs display their affinity to the wolf in their 

 elongated and narrow skulls, with very long muzzles, and the profile of the face only 

 displaying a slight degree of concavity. The premolar teeth are separated from 

 one another by distinct intervals ; and there is no tendency for the lower incisor 

 teeth to project beyond the line of those of the upper jaw. 



The drover's dog varies considerably in different districts of 

 England, and is generally a cross between the sheep-dog and some 

 other breed. The size of these dogs is likewise very variable ; and both this and 

 the general form appear to be modified by breeders according to the special needs 

 of the districts for which the animals are required. Drovers' dogs generally have 

 their tails cut short. Their especial duty is to conduct flocks and herds from 

 one locality to another, and they are remarkably adept in separating the members 

 of the herd under their own charge from those of any other herd which they may 

 meet during their journey. 



A brief allusion may be made here to those nondescript dogs 

 found in troops in the towns and villages of Eastern Europe, Asia, 

 and Africa, and commonly designated pariah dogs. These animals vary greatly 

 in different districts, but many present a very wolfish appearance, and it is 

 probable that they often interbreed with the wolves and jackals of their respective 

 countries, while in India they may perhaps also cross with wild dogs. Originally, 

 however, these pariah dogs were undoubtedly domesticated breeds, which, from 

 neglect, have reverted to a greater or lesser extent towards a wild state. The 

 pariah dogs of Egypt appear to belong to a single race, and are of about the size 

 of a sheep-dog, but of a stouter build, with a broader head ; the tail being long 

 and generally bushy, and carried close to the ground. The general colour of their 

 coarse rough hair is reddish brown, tending in some individuals more decidedly 

 to grey, and in others to yellow. Occasionally black or tawny individuals may 

 be observed. Their ears are short, pointed, and usually erect. They live a 

 perfectly independent life, generally frequenting the rubbish-mounds with which 

 the old Egyptian towns and villages are surrounded, and passing the greater part 

 of the day in sleep, while towards evening they wake up and prepare themselves 

 for their nocturnal peregrinations. Each dog possesses its own particular lair, 

 which is chosen with especial care ; and frequently one dog will have two such 

 lairs, one of which is occupied in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. 

 When, as is often the case, the mounds in the neighbourhood of Cairo run nearly 

 north and south, so that both sides are equally exposed in winter to the cold 

 north wind, the dogs are careful to excavate a hole facing the south, in which 

 they may gain protection from the cutting blasts. In the morning the dogs will 

 be found lying in these lairs, which have an easterly aspect, so that they may 

 receive the full benefit of the sun's rays ; towards ten or eleven o'clock, however, 

 these quarters become too hot to be pleasant, and they then shift to the west side 

 of the mound, or to some other shady spot where they may continue their sleep. 

 When the sun reaches their lairs on the western side of the mounds the dogs 

 once more return to their morning haunts, where they remain till sunset. 



