HABITAT VARIETIES. 23 



HABITAT. 



In almost every climate the dog is to be met with, from Kamt- 

 schatka to Cape Horn, the chief exception being some of the 

 islands in the Pacific Ocean ; but it is only in the temperate zone 

 that he is to be found in perfection, the courage of the bulldog and 

 the speed of the greyhound soon degenerating in tropical coun- 

 tries. In China and the Society Islands dogs are eaten, being con- 

 sidered great delicacies, and by the ancients the flesh of a young 

 fat dog was highly prized, Hippocrates even describing that of an 

 adult as wholesome and nourishing. In a state of nature the dog 

 is compelled to live on flesh which he obtains by hunting, and 

 hence he is classed among the Carniwra ; but when domesticated 

 he will live upon vegetable substances alone, such as oatmeal por- 

 ridge, or bread made from any of the cereals, but thrives best upon 

 a mixed diet of vegetable and animal substances ; and, indeed, the 

 formation of his teeth is such as to lead us to suppose that by 

 nature he is intended for it, as we shall hereafter find in discussing 

 his anatomical structure. 



VARIETIES OF THE DOG. 



The varieties of the dog are extremely numerous, and, indeed, 

 as they are apparently produced by crossing, which is still had 

 recourse to, there is scarcely any limit to the numbers which may 

 be described. It is a curious fact that large bitches frequently 

 take a fancy to dogs so small as to be incapable of breeding with 

 them ; and in any case, if left to themselves, the chances are very 

 great against their selecting mates of the same breed as themselves. 

 The result is, that innumerable nondescripts are yearly bom, but 

 as a certain number of breeds are described by writers on the dog, 

 or defined by " dog-fanciers," these " mongrels," as they are called 

 from not belonging to them, are generally despised, and, however 

 useful they may be, the breed is not continued. This, how- 

 ever, is not literally true, exceptions being made in favor of cer- 

 tain sorts which have been improved by admixture with others, 



