16 FIRST DIVISION OF THE 



pariah, or indigenous dog of that country. The hounds are the most 

 rapid in their decline, and, except in the form of their ears, they are 

 very much like many of the village curs. Greyhounds and pointers also 

 rapidly decline, although with occasional exceptions. Spaniels and terriers 

 deteriorate less, and spaniels of eight or nine generations, and without a 

 cross from Europe, are not only as good as, but far more beautiful than, 

 their ancestors. The climate is too severe for mastiffs, and they do not 

 possess sufficient stamina ; but, crossed by the East Indian greyhound, they 

 are invaluable in hunting the hog. a 



Colonel Sykes, at one of the meetings of the Zoological Society, pro- 

 duced a specimen of 



THE WILD DOG OF DAK HUN, 



or Deccan, a part of India far to the south of Nepal, and gave the fol- 

 lowing description of this supposed primitive dog : " Its head is com- 

 pressed and elongated, but its muzzle not very sharp. The eyes are 

 oblique, the pupils round, and the irides light-brown. The expression 

 of the countenance is that of a coarse ill-natured Persian greyhound, 

 without any resemblance to the jackal, the fox, or the wolf. The ears 

 are long, erect, and somewhat rounded at the top. The limbs remarkably 

 large and strong in relation to the bulk of the animal. The size is inter- 

 mediate between the wolf and the jackal. The neck long, the body 

 elongated, and the entire dog of a red-brown colour. None of the do- 

 mesticated dogs of Dakhun are common in Europe, but those of Dakhun 

 and Nepal are very similar in all their characters. There is also a dog 

 in Dakhun with hair so short as to make him appear naked. It is called 

 the polugar dog. 



THE WILD DOG OF THE MAHRATTAS 



possesses a similar conformation ; and the fact is, that the East Indian 

 wild dog is essentially the same in every part of that immense extent of 

 country. There is no more reason, however, for concluding that it was 

 the primitive dog, than for conferring on the Indian cattle the same 

 honour among the ruminants. The truth of the matter is that we have 

 no guide what was the original breed in any country. The lapse of 

 4,000 years would effect strange alterations in the breeds. The common 

 name of this dog, in the track lying between South Bahar and the 

 Mahratta frontier towards Maghore, is 



DHOLE, 



the Chryseus Scylex of Hamilton Smith. 



Captain Williamson, in his Oriental Field Sports, gives the following 

 account of the Dholes : 



" They are to be found chiefly, or only, in the country from Midna- 

 pore to Chamu, and even there are not often to be met with. They are 

 of the size of a small greyhound. Their countenance is enlivened by 

 unusually brilliant eyes. Their body, which is slender and deep-chested, 

 is thinly covered by a coat of hair of a reddish-brown or bay colour. The 

 tail is dark towards its extremity. The limbs are light, compact, and 



R Williamson's Oriental Field Sports. 



