SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 647 



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the monuments, it is to be observed, that they have a far 

 nearer resemblance to the lighter forms distinctive of the 

 African clogs, than to the more massive forms of those of 

 northern countries. 



The whole of Africa, it may be said, abounds in Canidse, 

 many of them very elegant and variously coloured. Some 

 of them have very long ears, a character which connects 

 them with the Fennecs or Zerdas, a curious tribe of dogs, 

 which are more fitted to live on fruit, honey, the eggs of 

 birds, and insects, than the other Canidse, but which likewise 

 pursue the smaller game. They burrow in the sandy de- 

 serts, frequently under the roots of the palm and other trees, 

 in the manner of foxes. Their large external ears are fitted 

 to endow them with an exquisite sense of hearing, which 

 may be supposed to be a mean of avoiding their enemies, or 

 of being conducted by the sound to their proper prey. They 

 are furnished, too, with fur on the soles of their feet, appa- 

 rently to enable them to tread softly on the ground, and ap- 

 proach their prey in silence. Wild Dogs of different species, 

 some of them very fierce, fleet, and wild, have been found in 

 almost all the countries of Africa that have been visited, 

 from the Libyan deserts to the countries of the Bushmen 

 and Hottentots, who, although amongst the rudest of men, 

 have yet learned to turn to use those animals of their coun- 

 try ; and, indeed, it may be said, no people have yet been 

 discovered so rude as not to have domesticated the dogs pro- 

 per to the countries they inhabit. 



The ancients frequently refer to Wild Bogs, as inhabiting 

 their own or the neighbouring countries. They were found, 

 and are yet found, in Arabia, Syria, and Asia Minor. They 

 appear to extend all eastward through Persia, to the coun- 

 tries connected with the great Himalaya range and its tribu- 

 tary chains. They live in bands, and pursue their prey in 

 the manner of all the Canidae, namely, by scent, by speed, 

 and generally by uniting into packs ; and are of different 

 species, often confounded under the name of Chacals. or 



