THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by i\ssociated Illustration Agencies, Ltd. 



A PHIDIPPIDES OF MODERN WARFARE 



Like the famous Greek athlete who ran from Athens to Sparta to summon aid in the 

 repulse of Persian invaders, this dog scurries over shell holes and mined areas, wriggles 

 through barbed wire, and braves an artillery barrage to carry a vital message to headquarters 

 when telephone wires have been shot away and communicating trenches have been made 

 impassable for men (see pages 17 and 73). 



the bones and other refuse just outside 

 his home, until the place looked like the 

 outside of a fox burrow when the hunt- 

 ing is good. 



Wild dogs when they had been unsuc- 

 cessful in the chase, perhaps, and conse- 

 quently hungry, would be attracted by the 

 odor of this waste food and would come 

 and carry it off. They would come fur- 

 tively at first, but as they found they were 

 not molested they would come boldly, and 

 "by thus disposing of refuse that would 

 otherwise become offensive even to prim- 

 itive man they performed a service in ex- 

 change for benefits received. 



In this way man would become used to, 

 and would even encourage 'the presence 

 of. dogs in the vicinity of his home. 



Then, with so many wild dogs living 

 near by, it is certain that occasionally 

 their dens would be found by the man 

 and the puppies carried home to amuse 



the children. Such puppies would grow 

 up with little fear of their human hosts, 

 and by their playful, friendly ways would 

 probably win for themselves at least tol- 

 erance, if not actual affection, and dogs 

 would become a recognized part of the 

 household. 



The puppies of these dogs would be a 

 little tamer than their parents, and those 

 of the next generation a little tamer still, 

 until some of them became so domesti- 

 cated as to have no thought of ever re- 

 turning to the wild state. 



SHARING man's COMFORTS 



When fire was invented or discovered, 

 no doubt such dogs shared with man its 

 comforts and its protection, and this may 

 have strengthened their determination to 

 throw in their lot with the mysterious 

 beings who could create such comfort and 

 protection for them. 



