324 HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS. 



THE DOG. 



THE services of this truly valuable creature have 

 been so eminently useful to the domestic interests 

 of man, in all ages, that to give the history of the 

 Dog would be little less than to trace mankind back 

 to their original state of simplicity and freedom, to 

 mark the progress of civilization through the vari- 

 ous changes of the world, and to follow attentively 

 the gradual advancement of that order which placed 

 man at the head of the animal world, and gave him 

 a manifest superiority over every part of the brute 

 creation. 



Let us consider for a moment the state of man 

 without the aid of this useful domestic : with what 

 arts shall he oppose the numerous host of foes that 

 surround him on all sides, seeking every opportunity 

 to encroach upon his possessions, to destroy his 

 labours, or endanger his personal safety; or how 

 shall he bring into subjection such as are necessary 

 for his well-being ? His utmost vigilance will not 

 be sufficient to secure him from the rapacity of one, 

 nor his greatest exertions enable him to overcome 

 the speed of another. To maintain his indepen- 

 dence, to insure his safety, and to provide for his 

 support, it was necessary that some one among the 

 animals should be brought over to his assistance, 

 whose zeal and fidelity might be depended on : and 

 where, amidst all the various orders of animated 

 being, could one be found so entirely adapted to 

 this purpose ? where could one be found so bold, so 

 tractable, and so obedient as the Dog? To confirm 

 the truth of these observations, we need only turn 



