116 W. T. Blanford — ^rof. Jeitteles' Besearches on Domestic Bogs. [May, 



but it is more probably allied to the European than to the Indian 

 species, because the other mammals of the Persian highlands are Palse- 

 arctic forms. Even the wolf of the Baluchistan highlands is, there is every 

 reason to believe, a larger animal than Canis pallipes. There is a smaller 

 wild Canine in Persia known as Sag-gurg (dog wolf) which, however, to 

 judge by a flat skin, the only portion examined, is not the Indian wolf. 

 A small slender form of wolf is stated by Professor Jeitteles on the 

 authority of Professor Bagdanow of St. Petersburg to exist in the steppes 

 between the Aral and Caspian. 



One Asiatic wolf, however, that of the Tibetan highlands, Canis laniger, 

 Hodgson, does appear to approach the Indian wolf to some extent. It 

 appears to be somewhat larger, though inferior in size to the European 

 wolf. The Indian Museum contains a fine series of skulls of the Tibetan 

 wolf derived from the Society's old collection, and although these consider- 

 ably exceed the skulls of G. pallipes in size, they shew the same peculiarity 

 of the molar teeth, the " carnassial" being a little shorter than the two 

 tubercular molars taken together. In five skulls of the Tibetan wolf 

 the length of the former varies from 19 to 22 millimetres measured 

 along its outside margin, that of the two latter together similarly measured 

 from 21 to 23*5 mill. The length of the skulls from the anterior lower 

 edge of the foramen magnum to the alveolar margin of the incisors measures 

 in these five skulls (or rather in four, one being imperfect behind,) from 

 190 to 210 millimetres (7-46 to 8-25 inches). 



Professor Jeitteles proceeds to trace the probable descent of the half- 

 wild common street -dog of Egypt and the Levant from one of the African 

 jackal-like animals Canis lupaster, Hemp, and Ehr. and of an African race 

 of greyhounds from one of the forms of C. anthus, Cuv. With these we 

 have no particular concern, but it is otherwise as regards the pariah dog 

 of India. Professor Jeitteles is inclined to believe from the accounts given 

 by various naturalists and travellers that there are two races of pariah ; a 

 larger, probably derived from Canis pallipes, and a smaller from O. aureus. 

 Despite Jerdon's mention of the jackal-like dogs seen occasionally about 

 Indian villages, it may be doubted whether any race of Indian jDariah closely 

 resembles the jackal, all appear to be much larger, and have rather the build 

 of a wolf than a jackal. Mr. Blanford added that he was also unable to 

 recognise two distinct races of pariah dogs, a small one and a large one ; 

 numerous variations in size occur of course, but he could not say that he 

 had ever seen two well marked kinds. Larger dogs are kept by par- 

 ticular classes of natives for hunting purposes, and the common dogs appear 

 always to run larger in those parts of India in which they are useful and 

 can protect the flocks against the smaller carnivora, such as wolves and 

 jackals, whilst they are small and starved from ill feeding in other parts of 



