THE BINGO, OR AUSTRALIAN DOG. 9 



with the body firmly built, and the limbs very muscular. The head is broad between the ears, and the 

 muzzle is acute ; the neck is thick and powerful ; the ears are short, pointed, and erect ; the tail is 

 moderate, and somewhat bushy and pendulous, or at most raised only horizontally. The general 

 colour is sandy red ; the eyes are small and oblique, and have a sinister expression. 



The Dingo is remarkable for agility and muscular power, as well as for ferocity and cunning. It 

 never barks, but howls loiidly, and hunts in small companies. These animals have been described as 

 the wolves of the colony of New South Wales. They breed in the holes of rocks, and carefully watch 

 their brood. A litter was found near the Yao Plains, which the discoverer failed to destroy, intending 

 to return and catch the mother also, and thus extirpate the whole family ; but the female must have 

 been watching him, or have ascertained by the scent that her lurking-place had been invaded, for on his 

 return, a short time after, he found all the little dingoes had been carried away ; and he was never able 

 to discover their place of removal, though diligent search was made. 



ESQUIMAUX DOGS IN HAI:NK>S 



Of their power of enduring pain there are several authentic and remarkable instances. One ol 

 them had been beaten so severely that it was supposed all its bones were broken, and it was left for 

 dead. After the person had walked some distance, on accidentally looking back, his surprise was greatly 

 excited by seeing the dingo rise, shake itself, and march into the bush, evading all pursuit. Another, 

 supposed to be dead, was taken into a hut for the stripping of its skin. At the beginning of the 

 process on the face, there was only a slight quivering of the lips, which was supposed to be merely 

 muscular irritability. Soon after, the man left the hut to sharpen his knife, and returning found the 

 animal sitting up, with the flayed integuments covering one side of its face ! 



A dingo, bred in the Zoological Gardens, was removed from the mother when about six weeks' 

 old, and, on being put into a room, immediately skulked into the darkest corner, and then crouching 

 eyed the person who took it with looks of great distress and aversion ; and, as soon as left to itself, 

 it commenced the most melancholy howling, which ceased when any one entered. This was its con- 

 stant practice for some days ; and when placed in a kennel it was usually so employed. It grew up 

 strong and healthy, and gradually became reconciled to those from whom it received its food, but was 

 shy towards others, retreating into its kennel on their approach. It never barked, or, like other dogs, 

 gave notice of the approach of strangers, and, therefore, as a guard, was perfectly useless. A great 

 VOL. n. 2 



