520 CARNIVORES. 



are generally of a mottled-gi-ey colour, more or less mixed witli white, but maj- 



be black-and-tan, or even tan-and-white. 



All the breeds of sheep-dogs displaj^ their affinity to the wolf in their 



elongated and narrow skulls, ^vith very long muzzles, and the profile of the face only 



displaying a slight degree of concavity. The premolar' teeth are separated from 



one another by distinct intervals ; and there is no tendency for the lower incisor 



teeth to project bej^ond the line of those of the upper jaw. 



The drover's dog varies considerably in different districts of 

 Drov6r's Dosr* 



England, and is generally a cross between the sheep-dog and some 



other breed. The size of these dogs is likewise very variable : and both this and 



the general form appear to be modified by breedere according to the special needs 



of the districts for which the animals are re(juired. Drovers' dogs genei-ally have 



their tails cut short. Their esjjecial duty is to conduct flocks and herds from 



one locality to another, and they are i-emarkably adept in separating the members 



of the hci-d umler their own charge from those of any other herd wliich they maj' 



meet during their journey. 



A brief allusion mav be made here to those nondescript dogs 



Pariah Dogs. , . ' . « _, P 



found in troops in the towns and \-illages of Eastern Europe, Asia, 

 and Africa, and commonly designated pariah dogs. These animals vary greatlj' 

 in different districts, but many present a very wolfish appearance, and it is 

 probable that they often interbreed with the wolves and jackals of their respective 

 countries, while in India they may perhaps also cross with wild dogs. Originally, 

 however, these pariah tlogs were undoubtedly domesticated breeds, wliich, from 

 neglect, have reverted to a greater or lesser extent towards a wild state. The 

 pariah dogs of Eg3'pt appear to belong to a single race, and are of about the size 

 of a sheep-dog, but of a stouter build, with a broader head ; the tail being long 

 and generally bushy, and carried close to the grouml. The general colour of their 

 coarse rough hair is reddish brown, tending in some individuals more decidedly 

 to grey, and in others to yellow. Occasionally black or tawnj- individuals may 

 be observed. Their ears, are short, pointed, ami u.sually erect. They live a 

 perfectly independent life, generally frequenting the rubbish-mounds with which 

 the old Egyptian towns and \illages are surrounded, and passing the greater part 

 of the day in sleep, while toward.s evening they wake up and pi-epare themselves 

 for their nocturnal peregrination.s. Each dog possesses its own particular lair, 

 which is chosen with especial care : and frequently one dog will have two such 

 lairs, one of which is pccupied in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. 

 When, as is often the case, the mounds in the neighbourhood of Cairo, run nearly 

 north and south, so that both sides are equally exposed in winter to the cold 

 north wind, the dogs are careful to excavate a hole facing the south, in which 

 they may gain protection from the cutting blasts. In the morning the dogs will 

 be found lying in these lairs, M-hich have an easterly aspect, so that they may 

 receive the full benefit of the sun's rays ; towards ten or eleven o'clock, however, 

 these quarters become too hot to be pleasant, and they then shift to the west side 

 of the mound, or to some other shady spot where they may continue their .sleep. 

 When the sun reaches their lairs on the western side of the mounds the dogs 

 once more return to their morning haunts, where they remain till sunset. 



