Dogs.] 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



195 



small and oblique, and have a sinister expression. 

 It is not found in Van Diemen's Land. 



The agility and muscular powers of the dingo are 

 extraordinary, and its cunning and ferocity are as 

 much so. It never barks, but howls loudly ; as far 

 as we have observed, it never evinces pleasure by 

 wagging the tail. A dingo bred in this country 

 came some few years since under our personal ob- 

 servations ; it was about six weeks old when re- 

 moved from the mother. On putting the young 

 animal into a room, it immediately skulked into the 

 darkest corner, and there crouching, eyed us with 

 looks of great distrust and aversion ; as soon as left 

 to itself, it commenced the most melancholy howl- 

 ing, which ceased on any person's entrance. This 

 for some days was its constant practice, and when 

 placed in a kennel the greater part of the day was 

 thus employed. It grew up strong and healthy, 

 and gradually became reconciled to those from 

 whom it was accustomed to receive food, but was 

 shy towards others, retreating into its kennel at 

 their approach. It never barked, nor, like other 

 dogs, gave notice of the approach of strangers, and 

 therefore as a guard was perfectly useless. A great 

 part of the day was spent in howling, and that so 

 loudly as to be heard at the distance of more than 

 half a mile. When the moon rose brightly, it 

 would sit. and utter for hours its wild lamentations, 

 not a little to the annoyance of the neighbourhood. 

 With all its shyness, it was at the same time savage, 

 but would never make an open attack; several 

 times it snapped at persons who happened to be 

 walking within its reach, but only when their backs" 

 were turned, and it immediately retreated again 

 into its kennel. So great was its strength, that 

 though encumbered by a heavy chain, it leaped a 

 wall of considerable height, and was not secured 

 without difficulty. Fig. 861, b, Figs. 872 and 873, 

 represent the dingo. 



We have lately seen a small dog from the Niger, 

 where it is domesticated, very nearly resembling in 

 form the dingo, but on a much more diminutive and 

 lighter scale, and with a longer muzzle in propor- 

 tion ; its general colour was reddish. It neither 

 barked nor wagged its tail, at least when first ob- 

 tained, but if we mistake not, it subsequently 

 learned the latter, if not both, of these canine ac- 

 complishments. 



Among the wild races of dogs, or rather of dogs 

 become wild, to which Buffon alludes, are those of 

 South America and the West Indian Islands, con- 

 fessedly sprung from a European stock abandoned 

 by the early settlers in the vast plains, and which 

 have given origin to an unreclaimed race. Azara 

 states that these dogs are called Yagoua (a name 

 given also to the jaguar) in Paraguay, where they 

 are very common, inhabiting caves. They for- 

 merly abounded in Hayti, Cuba, and all the Carib- 

 bean islands, but are now extirpated there. Mr. 

 Darwin alludes to wild dogs in Banda Oriental as 

 attacking sheep. According to Oexmelin these 

 dogs resemble the greyhound ; but others more 

 accurately describe them as having the head flat 

 and elongated, the muzzle sharp, the body slender, 

 the general aspect wild and savage. They are 

 strong and active, and hunt their prey in packs. 



It would appear, however, that the Europeans on 

 their arrival found native dogs both in the Carib- 

 bean Islands and in Peru. " Those belonging to 

 the savages of the Antilles," says Buffon, " had the 

 head and ears very long, and resembled a fox in 

 appearance." (See 'Hist. Gen. des Antilles,' par le 

 P. du Tertre, Paris, 1667.) He also adds that the In- 

 dians of Peru had a large and a smaller kind of dog, 

 which they name Alco, and that those of the Isthmus 

 were ugly, with rough long hair and erect ears. 



With respect to the Alco of Peru and Mexico, 

 we know nothing more about it than what Dampier 

 and Fernandez mention. The latter describes two 

 breeds, viz. the fat Alco, or Michuacaneus, called 

 by the natives Ytzcuinte porzotli, and the broad- 

 footed Alco, or Techichi. Both were small, some 

 of the latter race not much exceeding a guinea-pig 

 in size. The head was small, the back arched, the 

 body thick, the ears pendulous, and the tail short. 

 An individual probably of this race was brought 

 to this country from the neighbourhood of Mexico, 

 by Mr. Bullock; it was white, variegated with 

 black and reddish yellow ; this specimen was pro- 

 cured in the mountains of Durango, where it bore 

 the name of Aeolotte. It died in a few days, and 

 its stuffed skin formed part of the collection ex- 

 hibited in Piccadilly, being placed under a glass 

 with a huge bull-frog, which equalled it in size. 

 These specimens are, we believe, now in the pos- 

 session of Mr. Leadeater. Dogs resembling the 

 Alco were seen as early as 1492 in several of the 

 West Indian Islands, by Columbus, and were also 

 found in Martinique and Guadaloupe, in 1635, by 

 French navigators, who describe them as resembling 

 the little Turkish or Barbary dogs without hair, 

 adding that they were eaten by the inhabitants. 

 All trace of them is now lost. 



The probability is that these Alco dogs were not 

 indigenes of the soil either in the islands or on the 

 continent of Peru, but were brought by some of 

 the tribes by whom South America was populated. 

 The breed might have been introduced by that 

 strange people, (of Malay descent ?) who founded 

 the Peruvian and Mexican empires. In the South 

 Sea islands, dogs of a similar race exist, which are 

 fed on vegetable food, and eaten, as were the Alco 

 dogs in South America. 



Wild dogs exist in Congo, Guinea, and other 

 parts of Africa, hunting in packs, and dwelling in 

 caves or burrows. Clapperton met with them in 

 the country beyond Timbuctoo. In the island of 

 Teneriffe, a large woltish breed of dogs is domes- 

 ticated and valued for the chase. 



Fig. 874 presents the portraits of a leash of fine 

 hounds from Africa, by Major Dcnhatn, who had 

 employed them in hunting the gazelle, in the chase 

 of which their exquisite scent and extraordinary 

 speed were displayed to great advantage ; they 

 would frequently quit the line of scent for the pur- 

 pose of taking a direct, instead of a circuitous 

 course (sportsmen call this cutting off a double), 

 and recover the scent again with wonderful facility. 

 These beautiful hounds were consigned to the 

 Tower menagerie, where, shut up in a close den, 

 they evidently felt miserable. Instead of exerting 

 their energies in pursuit of the antelope on the 

 plains of Africa, here they were prisoners, with* no 

 means of escape, and with no room or opportunity 

 for the exercise of their powers and instincts. 

 These hounds, however, were not of the wild breed ; 

 in symmetry and action they were perfect models, 

 and in temper were gentle, excepting that confine- 

 ment rendered the female irritable. Other repre- 

 sentations of the African hound are given in Figs. 

 875 and 861,/. 



To the group of dogs which in their aspect and 

 physiognomy retain a marked air of wildness, as in- 

 dicated by the sharpness of the muzzle, the erect or 

 semi-erect position of the ears, and the oblique di- 

 rection of the eye,* giving an air of cunning and 

 distrust to the countenance, is to be referred the 

 Esquimaux dog, Fig. 861, a, and Fig. 876. In gene- 

 ral aspect, the Esquimaux dog (Canisfamiliaris,var. 

 borealis), so closely resembles the wolf of its native 

 regions, that when seen at a little distance it is not 

 easy to distinguish between them; so much so 

 indeed, that Sir Edward Parry's party during their 

 second voyage forbore to fire upon a pack of thir- 

 teen wolves, which had closely followed some 

 Esquimaux, lest they should commit an irreparable 

 injury upon these poor people by destroying their 

 faithful and powerful allies. 



Those visiting the museum of the Zoological 

 Society and looking at a fine specimen of the Es- 

 quimaux dog (No. 212, d, of Catal. Mamm. 1838) 

 which is placed near a grey wolf from the high 

 northern parts of America (No. 214, Cat. Mamm.), 

 might suppose, unless informed to the contrary, that 

 the two animals were of the same species. In both 

 the fur is deep and thick, both have the same erect 

 ears, the same breadth of skull between them, and 

 the same or nearly the same sharpness of muzzle. 

 In addition we may state that, in its native wilds at 

 least, the voice of the dog is not a bark, but a long 

 melancholy howl. 



In the dog, however, the tail is more bushy than 

 in the wolf, and is carried in a graceful curve over 

 the back, while in the wolf it hangs down between 

 the legs. It is further to be remarked that the 

 antipathy of the Esquimaux dog to the wolf is 

 inveterate ; these animals not only regard the wolf 

 as an enemy, but fear it, and though they attack 

 the bear with undaunted energy, they never, unless 

 impelled by necessity, venture to assault the wolf. 

 Often, indeed, they fall a sacrifice to this beast 

 of prey, and are carried off even in sight of their 

 owners. 



To the Esquimaux their dogs are of the greatest 

 importance; to these faithful slaves they look for 

 assistance in the chase of the seal, the bear, and 

 the reindeer ; for carrying burdens, and for drawing 

 them on sledges over the trackless snows of their 

 dreary plains. In summer, a single dog carries 

 a weight of thirty pounds in attending his 

 master in the pursuit of game ; and in winter six 

 or seven dogs, yoked to a heavy sledge, with five 

 or six persons, or a load of eight or ten hundred- 

 weight, will perform a journey of forty or fifty miles 

 a day. On good roads they will travel this distance 

 at the rate of eight miles an hour for several hours 

 together ; but on untrodden snow, twenty-five or 

 thirty miles would be a fair day's journey. The 

 same number of dogs well fed, with a weight of 

 only five or six hundred pounds, that of the sledge 

 included, are almost unmanageable, and on a 

 smooth road will go at the rate of ten miles an 

 hour. While thus travelling, should they scent a 



* An oblique direction of the eye is one of the diagnostics of a low 

 degree of cultivation, and is never seen in what are termed high-bred 

 races, however produced be the muzzle— as the greyhonnd. 



reindeer even a quarter of a mile distant, they gallop 

 off furiously in the direction of the scent, and soon 

 bring the game within reach of the arrow of the 

 hunter. So acute, indeed, is their sense of smell, 

 that they will discover a seal-hole by it entirely, at 

 a very great distance. 



The average height of the Esquimaux dog is one 

 foot ten inches ; generally the colour is white with 

 something of a yellow tinge, but some are brindled, 

 some black and white, and some black. 



If the Esquimaux dog resembles the grey wolf of 

 North America, equally does the Hare Indian's 

 or Mackenzie River dog resemble the fox. This 

 dog (Canis familiaris, var. lagopus) is characterized 

 by a narrow, elongated, and pointed muzzle, by 

 erect sharp ears, and by a bushy tail, not carried 

 erect, but only slightly curved upwards, and by the 

 general slenderness of the form. (Fig. 877.) The 

 hair is fine and silky, thickening in winter, when 

 it becomes white or nearly so ; but in summer it is 

 marked by patches of greyish black or slate-grey, 

 intermingled with shades of brown. So nearly 

 does this dog resemble the arctic fox of the regions 

 where it is found (namely, the banks of the Mac- 

 kenzie River and of the Great Bear Lake, traversed 

 by the arctic circle), that they have been considered 

 merely as varieties of each other, one being of the 

 wild, the other of the domesticated race. The 

 Hare Indian's dog is never known to bark in its 

 native country, and the beautiful pair brought to 

 England by Sir John Franklin and Dr. Richardson 

 never acquired this canine language ; but one born 

 in the Zoological Gardens (the pair in question 

 having been presented to the Society) readily learned 

 it, and made his voice sound as loudly as any Eu- 

 ropean dog of his size and age. 



This variety is of great value to the natives of the 

 bleak and dreary realms where the moose and the 

 reindeer are objects of the chase. Though it has 

 not strength fitting it for pulling down such game, 

 yet its broad feet and light make enable it to run 

 over the snow without sinking if the slightest crust 

 be formed on it, and thus easily to overtake the 

 moose or reindeer, and keep them at bay until the 

 hunters come up. In the fox the pupil is oblong,, 

 in the dog circular ; but independently of this, it is, 

 to say the least, highly improbable that this intel- 

 ligent dog is specifically identical with the arctic 

 fox : but if for argument we grant that it is, as some 

 contend, and also that the Esquimaux dog is iden- 

 tical with the wolf, other dogs also being reclaimed 

 wolves, we are involved in a dilemma ; for we must 

 then admit that the wolf and fox will breed together 

 and produce a fertile offspring, which those who 

 contend for the wolfish origin of the dog by no 

 means will allow to be possible. 



The Pomeranian or wolf-dog (chien-loup) and 

 the Siberian dog, the Lapland dog, and the Iceland 

 dog, of Buffon, appear to be closely related to the 

 Esquimaux dog. Buffon regards them as varieties 

 of the shepherd's dog, which he considers to be that 

 which of all is nearest to the primitive type, since, 

 as he observes, in all inhabited countries, whether 

 men be partially savage or civilized, dogs resem- 

 bling this more than any other are spread ; and he 

 attributes its preservation to its utility, and its being 

 abandoned to the peasantry charged with the care 

 of flocks. If, however, great cerebral development 

 and intelligence are to be received as tests of culti- 

 vation, we should be inclined to regard the shep- 

 herd's dog as one of the most remote from the 

 original wild type, sharp and pointed as are its nose 

 and ears. (Figs. 878 and 862, /.) The forehead 

 rises, the top of the head is arched and broad be- 

 tween the ears, and the hair is long and sometimes 

 matted. This dog is of middle size, but light, active, 

 and strong. 



Of the sagacity and faithfulness of the shepherd's 

 dog many "interesting narratives are current ; it 

 knows its master's flocks, it will single out a sheep 

 under his direction, keep it separate, or disengage it 

 again from the rest of the flock, should it regain or 

 mingle with them ; it will keep two flocks apart, 

 and "should they coalesce, re-divide them. It will 

 watch and defend them from strange dogs or foxes, 

 and will drive them to any place required. It is 

 in fact the shepherd's friend and assistant; it 

 watches every look and every sign, is quick in ap- 

 prehension, prompt in obedience, and pleased with 

 its master's praise : and well does he who tends his 

 flocks on the wide pasture-lands or mountain dis- 

 tricts of our island appreciate the services and 

 fidelity of his attached ally. 



Closely allied to the shepherd s dog is the cur or 

 drover's dog ; it is generally larger than the former, 

 with shorter hair, and stands taller on the limbs. 

 The tail is mostly cut short, but Bewick says that 

 many are whelped with short tails, which seem as 

 if they had been cut, and these are called in the 

 North " self-tailed dogs." Though this writer thinks 

 the drover's dog to be a true or permanent breed, 

 it seems to us that it is a cross between the shep- 

 herd's dog and some other race, perhaps the terrier. 



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