1877.] W. T. Blanford— Pro/ Jeitteles' Researches on Domestic Dogs. 115 



scribed by Eiitimeyer from the pile buildings (Pfalilhcmten) or lake dwell- 

 ings of Switzerland as the peat dog {Torf-hund) Ganis familiaris 'pahisiris 

 and considered a form intermediate between wolves and jackals. Profes- 

 sor Jeitteles considers that the skull of this dog is absolutely identical with 

 that of the jackal, Ganis aureus. He also shews that many of the modern 

 smaller races of dogs are in all probability descended from the same an- 

 cestor. The Asiatic jackal, as is well known, becomes very rare east of 

 the Bay of Bengal, and is unknown in Southern Burma, the Malay Penin- 

 sula, Siam or China, whilst to the westward it extends a considerable dis- 

 tance into Europe, being found in Turkey and Greece, and it ranges 

 throughout northern Africa. 



Professor Jeitteles remarks that in some of the smaller races of dog, 

 especially terriers, owing to thorough domestication, and the combined 

 effect of more highly developed intelligence and disuse of muscular power 

 through many generations, the form of the jackal skull has been changed 

 by the loss of the ridges to which the muscles are attached and the deve- 

 lopment of the brain cavity, so that the form recalls in a singular manner 

 that of certain monkeys. 



The next dog- skulls to which Professor Jeitteles turned his attention 

 were those of the dogs found associated with human remains of the bronze 

 age at Olmiitz and other localities. These are much larger than the dogs' 

 skulls of the stone age, and differ in several peculiarities, especially in being 

 much more wolf-like. Still they shew many differences from the skulls of 

 the European wolf ; they are smaller, and there are important distinctions 

 in the dentition. After comparing the bronze age skulls with those of 

 several wild species of African and American Ganidce, they were at last 

 found to agree with singular accuracy with the skull of the Indian wolf, 

 Ganis pallipes. The chief peculiarity of dentition in which the dog of 

 the bronze age and the Indian wolf agree, whilst both differ from the 

 common European wolf, is that in the two former the length of the car- 

 nassial tooth is less than that of the two hinder or tubercular molars in the 

 upper jaw, whilst in the common wolf the reverse is the case. 



Amongst living dogs, some shepherd's dogs appear most closely allied 

 in the form of their skull to their probable ancestor of the bronze period. 

 Poodles came nearest after the shepherd's dog. 



Professor Jeitteles suggests that the Indian wolf is also found north 

 of the Himalaya and Hindu Kush. In this view Mr. Blanford said he 

 could not quite agree. The wolf of Central Asia is certainly a much larger 

 form, the skins obtained by Dr. Stoliczka in Eastern Turkistan appeared 

 to belong to the European wolf or a closely allied species, but un- 

 fortunately no skulls were brought. Dr. Severtzov also refers the wolf of 

 western Turkistan to Ganis lupus. The Persian wolf however is unknown ; 



