218 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



The Naked Dog An Ugly, degenerated type of the 

 of Central Greyhound is the naked Dog found 

 Africa. jn central Africa ( Canis familiaris 



africanus). The body is long, slender and much 

 retracted in the flanks. A few hairs are found only 

 near the tail, around the mouth and on the legs ; all 

 the rest of the body is entirely devoid of hair, and 

 this is what gives the Dog its ugly appearance. The 

 black hue of the skin, which in our climate after some 

 time merges into gray and here and there shows 

 flesh-colored spots, is not pleasing. The length of 

 the body is twenty-two inches, that of the tail ten, 

 and the shoulder height fourteen inches. 



Besides this unclad relative of the Greyhound 

 other hairless Dogs exist, some of them having a 



THE DOG OF TIBET. One of the largest and noblest Dogs of the Mastiff group is the Dog of Tibet, 



which as a watch Dog and a guardian of flocks makes himself very useful in the mountain villages ot central Asia. 

 The long, rough, black hair, strong, heavy body, courageous' and intelligent face and pendent ears shown in the pict- 



ure, represent his character as a faithful and especially useful servant ot Man. 

 canus.) 



faded tuft of hair on the forehead. They may be 

 found in China, Central and South America, Manila, 

 the Antilles and the Bahama Islands. 



the" MASTIFFS. 



A second group of the Dog tribe is formed by the 

 Mastiffs {Canis familiaris molossus). 



The Handsome. To this group belongs, in the first 



Large Danish place, the Danish Dog (Cards famil- 

 Dog. iaris molossus danicus) though it may 



be considered a cross between Greyhound and Bull- 

 dog. He is a large, handsome animal of noble shape, 

 has slender legs, a smooth tail and large, beautiful 

 eyes ; the muzzle is tapering, but, like the whole 

 body, is of stouter build than that of the Greyhound. 

 The German Much more common than the Danish 

 H/lastiffor Dog is his near relative and descend- 



Ulmer Mastiff, ant, the German Mastiff {Canis fam- 

 iliaris molossus germamcus) distinguished as much for 

 its beauty as its sagacity, and popular in Germany 

 for still another reason. Who has not heard, or, at 



least read about, Bismarck's "Dog of the Empire"? 

 The German breeders have been successful in de- 

 veloping this breed (which originally bore the title 

 of the parent stock or that of "Ulmer Mastifi") to 

 such an extent that for the last decade it has only 

 borne the name of German Mastiff. 



Its fur is short and thick, both on the body and 

 on the tapering, slightly curved tail. The color is a. 

 uniform black, light or dark gray, brownish or light 

 yellow. The lighter tints are sometimes brindled with, 

 darker hues; and those of a light gray ground-color 

 usually have spots of a darker tinge; while those 

 German Mastiffs that have a fur of uniform color 

 frequently show white marks on breast and toes. 

 The ears are of moderate size, placed high on the 



head, and are, as a general 

 thing, partially split. 



Story of a A Dog of 

 Large German this breed, 

 Mastiff. according- 

 to Grassner's description, 

 had in his third year at- 

 tained a shoulder height of 

 thirty-seven inches, a total 

 length of seventy inches^ 

 (including the tail) and a 

 weight of 122 pounds, 

 which is an extraordinary 

 size. His master was di- 

 rector of a school and lived 

 in an unprotected neigh' 

 borhood at the outskirts- 

 of a German manufactur- 

 ing town. He deemed it 

 necessary to purchase a 

 strong Dog for the pro- 

 tection of his family and 

 home. " My choice," said 

 he, "fell on a five months' 

 old German Mastiff, whose 

 parents, owing to their 

 large size, intelligence and 

 faithfulness, were held in 

 high esteem by the Dog- 

 fanciers of the neighbor- 

 hood, but were also much 

 feared on account of their 

 fierce disposition. When I 

 brought the Dog home, his 

 clumsiness and his fero- 

 cious looks incited very unfavorable comment. But 

 it was only a few hours before he had forgotten his 

 awkwardness and began to feel quite at home in the 

 midst of his new surroundings. Naturally he be- 

 came my constant companion on my daily walkSr 

 during which he displayed an entirely unexpected 

 liveliness and activity. As I paid but little atten- 

 tion to him, he sought out for himself all kinds of 

 amusement after his own fashion, especially observ- 

 ing all human beings with constant attention, and if 

 he disliked their actions, he immediately stepped in 

 to regulate matters more in accordance with his 

 notions. Quarreling, for instance, was highly dis- 

 tasteful to him. Even if persons at a great distance 

 began to exchange loud words, he rushed between 

 them, growling and showing his teeth, and soon 

 quieted the disturbance. 



"The sight of a driver maltreating a Horse aroused 

 him to the greatest excitement, and he would at 

 once go to the side of the Horse and assume a. 

 threatening attitude. If the driver then persisted in 



'J" 



Ca 



( Canis familiaris rnolossus tibei- 



