!032 J THE DOG. 



flock of sheep with more care and safety than the shepherd himself, 

 or looks up a. lost sheep from merely verbal directions given him, is 

 proverbial. In our own country there are instances established by 

 the best of evidence, which doubtless many readers of these pages can 

 substantiate, of dogs rescuing persons from drowning, hunting up 

 and returning to their homes lost children, and dying of grief upon 

 their masters' or. mistresses', graves. 



Of the origin of the dog, naturalists have opposing theories. 



Fig. 1361.— Brown Hyena. 



That the hyena and the wolf are of the same genus, and sprang from 

 a kindred source with the dog, 1 is now admitted by all scientists, 

 though they do not agree in placing the fox in the same line of de- 

 scent. 



The Brown Hyena (Fig. 1381) is an animal very nearly re- 

 lated to the wolf, and therefore not as far removed in kinship with 

 the genial and faithful friend of man as his appearance and unsav- 

 ory reputation might seem to indicate. The Spotted Hyena, some- 

 times called the Tiger-wolf, is a singular animal, noted for the 

 strange, unearthly sounds it utters when under the influence of 



