Origin, Early History and Gcneology 19 
ably from the typical wolf skull. It has not been 
determined whether this early form was at this time 
already the companion of man or whether he was 
merely a highly developed feral form; at any rate, 
this was the first known transitory form from the 
wolf. After this form there followed a number of 
intermediary forms, together with infiltrations of 
small wolf and jackal-like feral forms until the 
bronze period, when we find a very distinct and 
well-established type, in the Canis familiaris matris 
optimae Jeitelles, named after his discoverer, Dr. 
Jeitelles, of Vienna, and generally known as the 
Bronze Dog. The skull formation of this dog 
stamps him as the probable progenitor of all Shep¬ 
herd dogs and a very careful consideration of the 
anatomical details of the specimens of the Bronze 
Dog in existence may permit us to believe that the 
Shepherd of today is very similar in appearance, at 
least this is the opinion of Jeitelles, Naumann, Studer 
and other scientists who have made a life study of 
the prehistoric history of the Canidae. According 
to Buffon, we see in the Shepherd the original form 
of the dog and he maintains that all the breeds today 
are descended from this form, the variations being 
due entirely to climatic conditions and selective 
breeding. This type or form has gone through the 
ages with a remarkable continuity; one finds au¬ 
thentic data of its existence in ancient Egypt. 
It was found among the early Romans, for Co¬ 
lumella gives an accurate description of both herd¬ 
ing and guard dogs of wolf-like type. The dog in 
