AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
49 
NEWFOUNDLAND DOG. 
CANIS FAMILIARIS. VAR. SENSILIS. 
[Plate V.] 
Man exercises a more unlimited and singular sway 
over the Dog, than over any other any other animal; this 
is so complete that the whole species has become his pro- 
perty, each individual of it being identified with his mas- 
ter, whose orders, and even whose wishes, he is always 
solicitous to execute; he adopts his manners, and surren- 
ders his own feelings and propensities with cheerfulness 
and alacrity, remaining faithful even under the severest 
treatment; he calmly suffers and forgets the most cruel out- 
rages, or only remembers them to increase his devotion; 
and all this originates neither from necessity or constraint, 
but appears to arise from innate feelings of gratitude, and 
true friendship. The speed, strength, and scent of the 
Dog, have constituted him a powerful ally of man against 
other animals, and his services have, in all probability, 
contributed in no slight degree to have reclaimed man from 
the savage state, and induced him to adopt the pastoral, or 
second grade of civilization. 
In fact, it must be evident to every reflecting mind, that 
without the aid of this faithful animal, man could never 
have obtained the mastery he now holds over the rest of 
creation. To conceive the importance of this acquisition, 
let it be supposed that it had never been attained. With- 
out the assistance of the Dog, how could man have attempt- 
ed to reduce the other animals to a state of subjection? For 
his own safety, and to constitute himself master of the ani- 
mated world, it was absolutely necessary to form an alli- 
ance with some of the animals themselves, and to conciliate 
such as were capable of attachment and obedience, in order 
to oppose them to such as w'ere possessed of opposite quali- 
ties. Hence, the domestication of the Dog seems to have 
been almost coeval with the history of man in a social state, 
and the result has been the conquest of the earth. 
The generic characters of the Dog are, having the face 
prolonged, and the naked, glandulous part of the nose more 
or less rounded; the cheeks somewhat elevated, the tongue 
smooth, and the ears erect, and pointed. This last charac- 
ter, however, becomes altered by domestication. Fore 
feet with five, and hinder feet with four toes, provided 
with strong, slightly curved nails, which are not retractile, 
as in the cats. The dental system in this genus is peculiar; 
there are in all forty-two teeth, namely, twenty in the 
upper jaw, and twenty-two in the lower, which are dis- 
posed as follows: Incisors £, canine ^z-t, molars fly. The 
incisors are placed on the same line, and are trilobed before 
they have been much used. The canines are conical, 
N 
acute, and smooth. The superior molars are six in num- 
ber, on each side, viz. three small acute teeth or false cut- 
ting molars, having a single lobe, a bicuspid or carnivo- 
rous, and two small teeth with a flat crown. The inferior 
molars are seven in number, on each side, viz. four false 
molars, a carnivorous, and two tuberculous teeth. This 
genus, as we have mentioned in a former number, includes 
the domestic Dog, the fox, the wolf, and the jackal. All 
the species ar#endowed with very acute senses, especially 
that of smelling. They are carnivorous, even feeding on 
flesh, when in a putrid state; more or less intelligent. The 
generality of them unite in troops, for the purpose of taking 
their prey, which they follow by the scent. Some species 
live in burrows, but the greatest number inhabit woods and 
thickets. 
The specific characters of the domestic Dog, as given by 
Desmarest, are; tail curved upwards in a greater or less 
degree ; face more or less prolonged, or shortened ; hair 
very various as to colour, though in almost every in- 
stance where the tail is varied with white, this colour is 
terminal. Linnaeus assigned as a character of this species, 
that the tail inclined to the left side, but this, daily obser- 
vation proves to be incorrect. 
To dwell at greater length on the description or particu- 
lar qualities of this well known animal, would be superflu- 
ous. Instead, therefore, of entering into a detail of his 
character and uses, we shall principally call the attention of 
our readers to the different opinions of naturalists, as res- 
pects the original species, with a few instances of his saga- 
city, attachment, and perseverance, as have occurred in the 
course of our reading. 
It must be obvious, even to the most unobservant, how 
exceedingly Dogs differ, not only in their habits, faculties, 
and propensities, but also in the form and proportions of 
their bodies, the infinite and incessant mixture of races, 
and the ramification of crosses, rendering it almost impos- 
sible to enumerate each distinct breed or variety. This 
however, has been attempted by several naturalists. The 
first systematic arrangement of these animals, which we 
have met with, is that of Dr. Caius, who divides them into 
three classes: 1. Those of a generous nature. 2. Farm 
Dogs; and 3. Mongrels. After the time of this author, 
numbers of classifications have been given, all more or less 
defective. Buffon has drawn up an elaborate genealogical 
table to prove that all the varieties may be traced back to 
the shepherd’s dog, which he considers the original type, 
from its great sagacity. In this table he not only attempts 
to class the different varieties, but also to give an idea of 
the mode in which they have been produced, by the influ- 
ence of climate, and the commixture of breeds. It is con- 
structed in the form of a geographical chart, so as to pre- 
