120 NATURAL HISTORY 



the Facijic ocean the dogs are bred up on 

 vegetables, and would not eat flesh when 

 offered them by our circumnavigators. 



We believe that all dogs, in a state of 

 nature, have sharp, upright, fox-like ears ; 

 and that hanging ears, which are esteemed 

 so graceful, are the effect of choice breed- 

 ing and cultivation. Thus, in the Travels 

 of Vsbrandt Ides from Muscovy to China, 

 the dogs which draw the Tartars on snow- 

 sledges near the river Obi/ are engraved 

 with prick-ears, like those from Canton, 

 The Kamschatdales also train the same sort 

 of sharped-eared peaked-nosed dogs to draw 

 their sledges ; as may be seen in an elegant 

 print engraved for Captain Cook's last 

 voyage round the world. 



Now we are upon the subject of dogs, it 

 may not be impertinent to add, that spa- 

 niels, as all sportsmen know, though they 

 hunt partridges and pheasants as it were 

 by instinct, and with much delight and 

 alacrity, yet will hardly touch their bones 

 when offered as food ; nor will a mongrel 

 dog of my own, though he is remarkable 



