WOLVES AND JACKALS. 
The fact that all the wonderful breeds or races of dogs 
are the descendants of wolves or jackals, or a mixture of 
both, cannot offer a doubt, as I see no other way of 
accounting for their existence. The gradual and easy 
manner with which they appear to glide downward is, I 
think, sufficient reason for us to believe that in the lapse 
of time the extraordinary changes we now find may have, 
under the variable conditions of life, been brought about. 
Of the common wolf, the pups, if taken soon after birth 
and tenderly reared, are as tame and playful as puppies of 
any breed of dogs, and may, up to full growth, be trusted 
as harmless companions. After this time, however, it 
may happen (which is almost a certainty) that they forget 
the kind treatment they have received and suddenly take 
advantage of an opportunity to gain their liberty and 
pursue a life of freedom, no longer to be under the control 
of their master. There are several breeds of dogs that 
appear to differ but little from the wolf The Esquimaux 
dog, for instance, seems to be a domesticated Arctic wolf 
We have also dogs from the Mackenzie River, North 
America ; from Africa, China, Australia, and different parts 
of Europe, all nearly allied in form, habits, and other par- 
ticulars, until we gradually, and by many stages, descend 
into the most extraordinary varieties, viz. pugs, poodles, 
spaniels, greyhounds, terriers, mastiffs, bloodhounds, and 
others in endless mixtures, which are no doubt produced 
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