THE POMERANIAN. 
been for a vast number of centuries, and 
had been even cruelly honoured by being 
sacrificed to Flora in the remote days of 
the old Latin gods.” 
Dr. Keller, in his “Lake Dwellings” 
(English translation, 1866), regards the 
first century of the Christian era as the 
date when the Swiss lake dwellings ceased 
to be occupied. If this is so, and if remains 
of the Pomeranian have been found in 
these very lake dwellings, Ouida’s state- 
ment with regard to the antiquity of the 
Pomeranian in Italy becomes perfectly 
possible. 
At Athens, in the street of Tombs, there 
is a representation of a little Spitz leaping 
up to the daughter of a family as she is 
taking leave of them, which bears the date 
equivalent to 56 B.c., and in the British 
Museum there is an ancient bronze jar of 
Greek workmanship, upon which is engraved 
a group of winged horses at whose feet 
there is a small dog of undoubted Pomeranian 
type. The date is the second century B.c. 
It is now generally accepted that, wherever 
our Pomeranian originated, he is a Northern 
or Arctic breed. Evidence goes to show 
that his native land in prehistoric times 
was the land of the Samoyedes, in the 
north of Siberia, along the shores of the 
Arctic Ocean. The Samoyad dog is being 
gradually introduced into England, and 
good specimens can be frequently seen at 
the principal shows. The similarity between 
our large white Pomeranian and the Samoyad 
is too great to be accidental. The prob- 
ability that the Pomeranian is descended 
from the Samoyad is rendered more credible 
by the following extract from Henry See- 
bohm’s book, “ Siberia in Europe.” Speak- 
ing of the Samoyad dogs, he says: ‘‘ The 
dogs were all white except one which was 
quite black; they were stiff-built little 
animals, somewhat like Pomeranian dogs, 
with fox-like heads and thick bushy hair, 
their tails turned up over the back, and 
curled to one side. This similarity between 
the Pomeranian and Samoyede dogs is a 
curious fact, for Erman mentions a race of 
people who, he says, resemble the Finns, 
both in language and features, in a district 
423 
of Pomerania called Samogritia, inhabited 
by the Samaites.”’ 
We are drawn therefore to the conclusion 
that in prehistoric times a migration of 
the Samoyedes was made from their native 
land into Pomerania, the most eastern pro- 
vince of Prussia bordering on the Baltic 
Sea, and that these people took with them 
their dogs, which were the progenitors of 
the present race of Pomeranian or Spitz. 
But in any case the Pomeranian dog, so 
called, has been a native of various parts 
DOG OF SPITZ TYPE. 
FROM AN ENGRAVED BRONZE JAR OF GREEK WORKMANSHIP OF THE SECOND 
CENTURY B.C. (IN THE BRITISH Museum.) 
of Europe from very early times. His 
advent into England has been of com- 
paratively recent date, at least in any great 
numbers, so far as can be ascertained, since 
no ancient records exist on this question. 
Gainsborough, however, has a painting of 
the famous actress, Mrs. Robinson, with a 
large white Pomeranian sitting by her side. 
In Rees’ Encyclopedia, published in 1816, 
a good picture of a White Pomeranian is 
given with a fairly truthful description. 
In this work he is said to be “larger than 
the common sheep dog.” Rees gives his 
name as Canis Pomeranius, from Linnzus, 
and Chien Loup, from Buffon. From these 
examples, therefore, we may infer that the 
large Pomeranian, or Wolf Spitz, was already 
known in England towards the end of the 
eighteenth century at least. There are, 
however, no systematic registers of Pomer- 
anians prior to the year 1870. 
Even ten years later than this last date, 
