22 FIRST DIVISION OF THE 



visited the country perro, in the Spanish language, being the name of a 

 dog. 



We will now turn to the northern parts of America. The races of 

 wild dogs are there considerably limited, both in number and the districts 

 which they occupy. 



In the elevated sandy country north of the source of the Missouri, 

 inhabited by the " Stone " and the " Black Foot " Indians, is a doubtful 

 species of dogs wolves they used to be called who hunt in large packs 

 and are exceedingly swift ; whose bark is similar to that of the domestic 

 dog, but who burrow in the ground, and eagerly run to their holes, when 

 the gun of the hunter is heard. The habit of selecting large, open, 

 sandy plains, and burrowing there, extends to the greater part of the 

 American wild dogs. 



In some parts of North America whole troops of horses are guarded and 

 kept together by dogs. If any of the troop attempt to steal away, the 

 dog will immediately fly after the horse, head him, and bring him back to 

 his companions. 



The wild dogs abound in many parts of South America. In some of 

 the forests on the banks of the Oronoko they multiply to an annoying 

 degree. The Cayotte of Mexico, described by some as a wolf, and 

 bearing no slight resemblance to that animal, belongs to the South Ame- 

 rican wild dogs, as do also the Aguara dogs of every kind. These wan- 

 derers of the woods are, however, diminished in numbers in every part of 

 that continent, and are replaced by other kinds, many of which have been 

 imported from Europe and domesticated. Many of the Indian tribes 

 have succeeded in reclaiming the dog of the woods, and have made him a 

 useful although not a perfectly attached servant. 



The dogs of the Falkland Islands, and the Indian North American 

 dogs generally, are brown or gray-coloured varieties of the wild dog ; but 

 they are nearly exterminated. 



The history of the 



WILD DOG OF AFRICA 



will occupy little space. It has already been stated that in Egypt and in 

 Nubia we have the first records of the dog. Many superstitious notions 

 were connected with him, and divine honours were paid to him. Those 

 times are passed away, and he is regarded with aversion by the Moslem of 

 the present day. He is an outcast. He obtains a scanty living by the 

 offal which he gathers in the towns, or he is become a perfect wild dog, 

 and scours the country for his prey. His modern name is the deab, 

 He is of considerable size, with a round muzzle, large head, small erect 

 ears, and long and hairy tail, spotted with black, white, and yellow, and 

 having a fierce wolfish aspect. These dogs are not, however, numerous ; 

 but the mischief which they do is often great, whether in pairs they burrow 

 in the earth, or associate with others and hunt in troops. a 



* Poiret, in his Travels in Barbary, as- of his own life. He is cruel and blood- 



serts that "the dog loses in the East a thirsty, his look is savage, and his ap- 



great part of those good qualities that pearance revolting ; carrion, filth, any- 



make him the friend of man. He is no thing is good enough for him if he can 



longer a faithful domesticated animal, but appease his hunger. They seldom 



faithfully attached to his master, and) ever bite one another, but they unite against a 



ready to defend him even at the expense stranger who approaches the Arab tents, 



