50 
WHat the Esquimaux dog (portraits of which 
breed were recently given in 
AniIMAL Lire) is to the Ksqui- 
maux of Arctic America and 
Greenland, so is the Samoyede dog to the 
nomadic tribes inhabiting the western portion 
of Siberia and north-east of Russia. These 
two, with the Norwegian dog, commonly 
called Elkhound in this country, are the 
most important forms of the Arctic dog. 
The Samoyede is rather smaller than the 
Esquimaux, and more domestic-looking ; in 
character also he is less wild than the Esqui- 
maux, just as the Samoyede tribes are more 
civihzed than 
the Green- 
landers and 
Alaskan In- 
dians. This 
makes him 
more suitable 
as a pet than 
the American 
dog, but also, 
in my opinion 
(writes Mr. 
Brooke, who 
sends us the 
photograph), 
renders him 
less distinctive 
In appearance 
asa breed: for 
there is no dis- 
guising the 
fact that he is 
apt to look lke 
a large Pome- 
ranian dog; in fact, when a great German 
cynologist and judge was in this country last 
summer, at the Botanic Gardens Dog Show, 
he remarked that the majority of the 
Samoyedes exhibited would, if running about 
a German town, be taken for large Pome- 
yanians. Another point which domestication 
in this country is altering is the eye. All 
Arctic dogs have a more or less keen and 
wild expression, which is typical and goes 
far to make up the correct towt ensemble ; 
but many of the specimens bred in this 
country have a soft, gentle, butter-won’t- 
The Samoyede 
Sledge=Dog. 
2m 
Sat 
Photograph by T. Fall. 
x 
“PERLENE.” 
A pure white Samoyede. 
Animal Life 
melt-in-my-mouth expression which, whilst 
it may be pretty and attractive to ladies, 
is by no means correct. The Samoyede dog 
is found of all colours, but that preferred 
in this country is white. This is the dog 
now usually made use of in Polar expeditions, 
partly owing to its being more tractable than 
the EKsquimaux. It will be remembered that 
some years back a large number of these dogs 
which had been employed in the Jackson- 
Harmsworth expedition were brought to this 
country and exhibited at the Crystal Palace 
Dog Show, with tent and sledge complete. 
They attracted much attention. Of these dogs 
Her Majesty 
the Queen still 
possesses one, 
“Jacko” by 
name, who has 
won several 
prizes. The 
best Samoyede 
ever seen in 
this country 
was a dog pre- 
sented some 
five years back 
to a President 
of the Kennel 
Club on the 
occasion of his 
visit to Russia. 
This beautiful 
dog was far 
ahead of any 
others ever 
exhibited, but 
what ulti- 
mately became of it I do not know. The 
accompanying illustration shows very much 
what the true Siberian sledge-dog is hke. The 
colour, "however, may be black, brown, red, 
yellow, or black and white. As in the 
case of the EHsquimaux dog, there is no 
doubt that wolf blood is sometimes introduced, 
either accidentally or on purpose, into this 
breed: and it is worthy of notice that 
whereas the ears of the Hsquimaux dog 
should be rather small, closely set and 
carried forwards, in this respect resembling 
those of the Aretic wolf, the ears of the 
