American Varieties, of the Dog. 43 



there are two distinct types of the Newfoundland dog, one 

 considerably larger than the other, and reckoned as the true 

 breed ; the other being named the Labrador, or St. John's, 

 or Lesser Newfoundland. The latter is chiefly found in 

 Labrador, and specimens are also to be met with in New- 

 foundland," pp. 194-195. 



Eegarding the dogs of the Mexican Indians, Nadaillac 

 says in his ''Prehistoric America": "The European dog, 

 our faithful companion, also appears to have been a stranger 

 to them. 1 His place was very inadequately filled by the 

 coyote, 2 or prairie wolf, which they kept in captivity 

 and had succeeded in taming to a certain extent." 



In a recent visit to Mexico, not only along the railroads, 

 but in the course of a stage ride of about five hundred miles 

 through provincial Mexico, from Saltillo to San Miguel, we 

 were struck by the resemblance of the dogs to the coyote ; 

 there can be little doubt but that they are the descendants 

 of a race which sprang from the partly tamed coyote of the 

 ancient Mexican Indians. At one village, Montezuma, we 

 saw a hairless or Carib dog as we supposed it to be ; similar 

 dogs are sometimes seen in the United States. 



Finally that the domestic dog and gray, as well as the 

 prairie wolf, will hybridize has been well established. 



Dr. Coues has observed hybrids between the coyote and 

 domestic dog on the Upper Missouri (see the American Na- 

 turalist, 18*73, p. 385.) To this we may add our own obser- 

 vations made at Port Claggett on the Upper Missouri in 

 June, 1877. We then were much struck by the wolf-like 

 appearance of the dogs about an encampment of Crow In- 

 dians, as well as the fort ; they were of the size and color 



1 Certain kinds of dogs were, however, domesticated in Amer- 

 ica. They were called Xulos in Nicaragua, Tzomes in Yucatan, and 

 Techichis in Mexieo. These were considered to afford very delicate 

 food after having been castrated and fattened. 



2 Canis latrans, Baird. In a description of Virginia, published in 

 1649, we read : " The wolf of Carolina is the dog of the woods. The 

 Indians had no other curs before the Christians came amongst 

 them. They are made domestic. They go in great droves in the 

 night to hunt deer, which they do as well as the best pack of 

 hounds." 



