40 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



The domestic Dog. (Cams Familiaris, L.) 



Is distinguished by a, curved tail, and varies 

 besides ad infinitum as to size, form, colour, and 

 the quality of the hair. The dog is the most 

 complete, the most remarkable, and the most 

 useful conquest ever made by man. Every spe- 

 cies has become our property ; each individual 

 is altogether devoted to his master, assumes 

 his manners, knows and defends his property, 

 and remains attached to him until death ; and 

 all this proceeds neither from want nor con- 

 straint, but solely from true gratitude and real 

 friendship. The swiftness, the strength, and 

 the scent of the dog, have created for man a 

 powerful ally against other animals, and were 

 perhaps necessary to the establishment of so- 

 ciety. He is the only animal which has followed 

 man through every region of the earth. 



Some naturalists think that the dog is a wolf, 

 others a domesticated jackal. The dogs, how- 

 ever, which have become wild again in desert 

 islands do not resemble either of these species. 

 The wild dogs and those belonging to barbarous 

 people, such as the inhabitants of New Holland, 

 have straight ears, which would lead us to the 

 belief that the European races, which approxi- 

 mate the most to the original type, are our 

 shepherd's dog and our wolf-dog. But the com- 

 parison of crania points to a closer approxima- 

 tion in the mastiff and Danish dog: after which 



