SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 675 



cular development approaches to that of common dogs. The 

 utmost care, it is known, has been used by opulent indivi- 

 duals to keep up this magnificent breed ; but in spite of 

 every attention, the animals, from generation to generation, 

 have diminished in strength and stature, so that they can 

 now be scarcely recognised as being of the ancient race : and 

 there is not a breed of dogs, from the Wolf-Dog to the Spa- 

 niel, in which we do not find varieties of size, for which we 

 can assign no other cause than the difference in the purposes 

 to which the physical strength arid faculties of the animals 

 are applied. 



The Dog has his habits affected in a wonderful degree by 

 those of the people amongst whom he lives. It was an old 

 remark, that one might judge of the civilization of a people 

 by their dogs. Amongst savages, the Dog is rude, treacher- 

 ous, and vindictive. He will snatch at the food in his mas- 

 ter's hand, and purloin it from his stores ; he will steal be- 

 hind the unwary stranger, and bite him ; and he will remem- 

 ber an injury, and avenge it. The dogs of the Esquimaux 

 will often, in revenge for the treatment they receive, endea- 

 vour to overturn the sledge of their master, or break it to 

 pieces by running down a precipice, or drag it into a pool. 

 Amongst mere barbarians, as the nomadic tribes of Asia, the 

 dog is fierce and inexorable like his human instructors. The 

 large dogs employed to guard the tents of the Arabs and 

 Turcomans, will rush upon the helpless traveller and drag 

 him to the ground. Still more rude and savage are those 

 dogs of the Turkish towns which are left without protection, 

 disowned and shunned by every one, and compelled to share 

 with hyaenas and vultures their miserable food. These dogs 

 are the pest of the Mohammedan towns. In Constantinople 

 a stranger cannot pass through the foul and narrow streets, 

 even at noon, without the hazard of being wounded. At 

 night he cannot do so without the risk of being torn to 

 pieces. These creatures stand in some awe of the c]ub of 

 the Believer ; but the " Christian Dog" who should venture 



