196 
YERTEBRATA. 
II. The head moderately elongated, and tlie parietals diverging from each other for a certain 
space as they rise upon the side of the head, enlarging the cerebral cavity and the frontal sinus. 
To this class belong our most valuable dogs, — the spaniel, setter, poodle, pointer, barbet, beagle, 
harrier, hound, NcAvfoundland dog, sheep-dog, wolf-dog, Esquimaux dog, &c. 
III. The muzzle more or less shortened, the frontal sinus enlarged, and the cranium elevated, 
and diminished in capacity. To this class belong the bull-dog, some of the terriers, the mastiff, 
Iceland dog, little Danish dog, English dog, Turkish dog, and a great many others that might 
very well be spared. 
But this division is not adapted to the present state of knowledge on this subject; we shall 
therefore offer a classification founded on that of Hamilton Smith, with modifications by Gervais 
and others who have paid especial attention to the subject. This arrangement, however, will 
only include the domesticated breeds ; we shall therefore, in the first place, give a sketch of the 
most remarkable untamed races. 
WILD DOGS. 
It is well known that in all countries, dogs occasionally break away from their accustomed 
training and become wild. Several of these will associate and herd together, and thus breeds of 
wild dogs, the offspring of domestic ones, are established. These multiply and increase according 
to the nature of the country in which they are placed. In some of the forests of Germany, 
among the mountains of the Pyrenees, on the northern shores of the Black Sea, and in various 
parts of America, North and South, there are wild dogs thus descended from domestic ones. In 
Asia and in Africa there are also much more numerous bands of wild dogs, many- of which have 
been known for ages, and being of a distinct and permanent character, some naturalists have sought 
to find in them the origin of the domestic dog. 
The CuON, or Buansu, already mentioned, is the Wild Dog of the Deccan, or Wild Dog 
OF Nepaul, the Canis primcevus of Hodgson. This animal has some resemblance, in its form, 
to both the wolf and the jackal ; it is in size between the two ; its cranium is most like that of the 
latter. It has six pairs of molars above and below, with one pair of inferior tubercular molars. 
The color is reddish broAvn, lighter toward the head, and of a shining blackish hue toward the tail. 
It unites in packs, which hunt by night and day, following rather by scent than sight, and making 
prey of hares, rabbits, antelopes, deer, and even buffaloes. They make great havoc among 
the game, and also destroy some ferocious beasts. While hunting, they have a cry distinct from 
that of the wolf or jackal, and resembling that of the hound. They inhabit particularly that 
part of Hindostan called the Deccan, and spread themselves northward to Nepaul, and southward 
to the coast of Coromandel, occupying as well the plains as the mountains, sometimes even to the 
verge of perpetual snow. They live in the ravines and crannies of rocks, and never burrow. 
They are cunning and wary, and seldom permit themselves to be surprised by man. The old 
dogs are insusceptible of domestication, but the young are readily tamed, and some have as much 
docility as other dogs. Many of them are partially domesticated in the East, and are used for 
hunting. They seem, however, to retain their savage and wild character in some degree, and 
generally are unreliable. In hog-hunting, they are very useful, — the rude sport seeming to suit 
their snarling and snappish natures. Mr. Hodgson, the English traveler and naturalist, had an 
excellent opportunity of studying these animals, and he believed he had found in them the 
original stock of the domestic dog : hence the scientific name he bestowed upon them, as given 
above. This opinion is not considered valid, but the fact that these animals are neither wolves 
nor jackals, but dogs, is fully authenticated. 
There are, in different parts of India, wild dogs which go under different names ; some of them 
are mere varieties of the Buansu, and other mixed breeds of unknown races. Thus among the 
Mahrattas, there is a kind called Dhole, the Chryseus scylex of Hamilton Smith, which is 
described as light, compact, and strong, and of the size of a small greyhound. The countenance 
is lively, the eye brilliant, the hair of a bay color. They are harmless if unmolested, and look 
upon man rather with curiosity than enmity. They run mute, except a low whimpering note. 
Their speed is great, and they run doAvn many of the larger and fiercer animals. Some of them 
are killed in their conflicts with the tiger, the elk, and the wild boar. 
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