192 Animal Life 
Apout twenty years ago there used to be 
exhibited in the Bears’ Den 
at the Zoo a white Hsquimaux 
dog which, if we remember 
rightly, was brought to this country by one 
or other of the Polar Expeditions. Since 
then, we believe no pure white specimen 
has been seen in this country, except the 
young bitch here portrayed, which was im- 
ported by Mr. H. C. Brooke from Greenland, 
and is the joint property of that gentleman 
and of Mr. A. P. King, who now owns 
“Arctic King,’ whom he purchased from 
Mr. Brooke two years back. Mr. Brooke 
also owned “Farthest North,’ who at the 
time of his death was the last member 
Esquimaux 
Dogs. 
ESQUIMAUX DOGS. 
himself by gnawing through the rawhide 
harness which fastened him to the sledge. 
We are also able, thanks to Mr. H. C. 
Brooke, to give a portrait of “Arctic King,” 
mentioned above. This dog was imported 
from Hudson’s Bay, and whilst in its 
original owner’s possession attained a record 
never equalled by any other foreign dog of 
any variety, having won nearly one hundred 
first prizes at leading shows all over England, 
Scotland, and France. The dog is still 
alive, but is now never shown, his owner 
haying not unnaturally been exceedingly 
annoyed at his having on the last occasion 
been placed behind an inferior dog by a 
judge who had never owned, bred, or even 
A pure white specimen and “ Arctic King,” the winner of nearly 100 first prizes. 
left of the pack used by Lieutenant Peary 
im his Polar expedition. “ Farthest North,” 
who is now stuffed in the Natural History 
Museum, was the subject of Miss Maud 
Earl's painful Academy picture, “The Last of 
the Expedition,” in which he is portrayed, 
gaunt and starving, gazing wearily into the 
fathomless waste of snow, his companion in 
misery lyimg dead beside him in harness. 
But our knowledge of the breed leads us to 
think the picture, beautiful though it be, 
somewhat improbable, for we are sure the 
survivor, ere giving himself up to despair, 
would have partaken of a chop from his late 
mate, and then have proceeded to free 
judged an Esquimaux dog in his life. He 
possesses a wonderfully dense coat of two 
kinds, a thick underwool and a stiff outer 
coat, together forming an admirable covering. 
When deep snow was on the ground it 
was his delight to scratch out a hole in 
which he would lie, dreaming, maybe, of 
the days of his youth spent in Arctic climes. 
Imported dogs of this variety, if given a 
cod’s head, usually succeed in separating 
all the flesh from the bones as neatly as 
might be done by a surgeon with his dis- 
secting knife, a task which, if set to an 
ordinary dog, would, probably result in his 
death from choking. 
—— 
