AVOLVES AND JACKALS. 



The fact that all the wonderful breeds or races of dogs 

 are the descendants of wolves or jackals, or a mixture of 

 both, cannot offer a doubt, as I see no other way of 

 accounting for their existence. The gradual and easy 

 manner with which they appear to glide downward is, I 

 think, sufficient reason for us to believe that in the lapse 

 of time the extraordinary changes we now find may have, 

 under the variable conditions of life, been brought about. 



Of the common wolf, the pups, if taken soon after birth 

 and tenderly reared, are as tame and playful as puppies of 

 any breed of dogs, and may, up to full growth, be trusted 

 as harmless companions. After this time, however, it 

 may happen (which is almost a certainty) that they forget 

 the kind treatment they have received and suddenly take 

 advantage of an opportunity to gain their liberty and 

 pursue a life of freedom, no longer to be under the control 

 of their master. There are several breeds of dogs that 

 appear to differ but little from the wolf. The Esquimaux 

 dog, for instance, seems to be a domesticated Arctic wolf. 

 We have also dogs from the Mackenzie River, North 

 America ; from Africa, China, Australia, and different parts 

 of Europe, all nearly allied in form, habits, and other par- 

 ticulars, until we gradually, and by many stages, descend 

 into the most extraordinary varieties, viz. pugs, poodles, 

 spaniels, greyhounds, terriers, mastiffs, bloodhounds, and 

 others in endless mixtures, which are no doubt produced 



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