THE DOG FAMILY.--DOGS OF SAVAGES--DOGS OF CIVILISED NATIONS--WILD
DOGS.
THE HARE INDIAN DOG--Its Characters, Disposition, &c.--THE ESKIMO
DOG--The Dependence of the Greenlanders on its Existence--The
Probability of its Speedy Extinction--Its Characters and Savage
Disposition--Its Uses--DOMESTIC DOGS OF OTHER SAVAGE TRIBES--African
Breeds--South American Breeds--THE DALMATIAN DOG--THE GREYHOUND--THE
SCOTCH GREYHOUND--THE DEERHOUND--THE TURKISH GREYHOUND--THE GRECIAN
GREYHOUND--THE PERSIAN GREYHOUND--THE ITALIAN GREYHOUND--THE
COCKER--THE SPRINGER--THE KING CHARLES’S SPANIEL--THE BLENHEIM
SPANIEL--THE CHINESE PUG-DOG--THE WATER-SPANIEL--THE POODLE--THE
MALTESE DOG--THE LION-DOG--THE TURKISH DOG--THE ST. BERNARD DOG--THE
NEWFOUNDLAND DOG--THE SHEEP-DOG--THE POMERANIAN DOG--THE CUR--THE
LURCHER--THE BEAGLE--THE HARRIER--THE FOXHOUND--THE STAGHOUND--THE
BLOODHOUND--THE SETTER--THE POINTER--THE RETRIEVER--THE
OTTER-HOUND--THE TURNSPIT--THE DACHSHOUND--THE BULL-DOG--THE
BULL-TERRIER--THE MASTIFF--THE CUBAN MASTIFF--THE TIBET DOG--THE
ENGLISH TERRIER--THE SCOTCH TERRIER--PARIAH DOGS--THE INDIAN WILD
DOG--THE DINGO.
Not only has civilised man his endless breeds of Dogs, but nearly
every savage tribe of any degree of intelligence has, to a greater
or less degree, succeeded in producing a race exhibiting well-marked
characters, useful to them as a guardian of flocks or a beast of
burden. Then, in many parts of the world there are to be found troops
of Dogs which have become wild, though not sufficiently so to be
actually dangerous, and which act as scavengers in those countries
which, like Turkey, are not blessed with a particularly stringent code
of sanitary regulations. We shall first consider the Dogs kept by
savages.
THE HARE INDIAN DOG.
This interesting variety (see figure on p. 104) is found only in North
America, in the region of the Great Bear Lake and the Mackenzie River,
where it is kept as a Hunting-dog by the Hare Indians and one or two
other tribes. As we mentioned above, it deserves great interest from
the fact that it closely resembles the Prairie-wolf, from which it is
very probably descended.
“The Hare Indian Dog has a mild countenance, with, at times, an
expression of demureness. It has a small head, slender muzzle, erect
thickish ears, somewhat oblique eyes, rather slender legs, and a broad,
hairy foot, with a bushy tail, which it usually carries curled over
its right hip. It is covered with long hair, particularly about the
shoulders; and at the roots of the hair, both on the body and tail,
there is a thick wool. The hair on the top of the head is long, and on
the posterior part of the cheek it is not only long, but being also
directed backwards, it gives the animal, when the fur is in prime
order, the appearance of having a ruff round the neck. Its face,
muzzle, belly, and legs are of a pure white colour, and there is a
white central line passing over the crown of the head and the occiput.
The anterior surface of the ear is white, the posterior yellowish-grey,
or fawn-colour. The end of the nose, the eyelashes, the roof of the
mouth, and part of the gums, are black. There is a dark patch over
the eye. On the back and sides there are larger patches of dark
blackish-grey, or lead-colour, mixed with fawn-colour and white, not
definite in form, but running into each other. The tail is bushy, white
beneath and at the tip. The feet are covered with hairs, which almost
conceal the claws. Some long hairs between the toes project over the
soles; but there are naked callous protuberances at the root of the
toes and on the soles, even in the winter time, as in all the Wolves
described in the preceding pages. The American Foxes, on the contrary,
have the whole of their soles densely covered with hair in the winter.
Its ears are proportionably nearer each other than those of the Eskimo
Dog.
“The Hare Indian Dog is very playful, has an affectionate disposition,
and is soon gained by kindness. It is not, however, very docile,
and dislikes confinement of every kind. It is very fond of being
caressed, rubs its back against the hand like a Cat, and soon makes an
acquaintance with a stranger. Like a wild animal, it is very mindful
of an injury, nor does it, like a Spaniel, crouch under the lash; but
if it is conscious of having deserved punishment, it will hover round
the tent of its master the whole day, without coming within his reach
even when he calls it. Its howl, when hurt or afraid, is that of the
Wolf; but when it sees any unusual object, it makes a singular attempt
at barking, commencing by a kind of growl, which is not, however,
unpleasant, and ending in a prolonged howl. Its voice is very much like
that of the Prairie-wolf. The larger Dogs, which we had for draught at
Fort Franklin, and which were of the mongrel breed in common use at
the fur-posts, used to pursue the Hare Indian Dogs for the purpose
of devouring them; but the latter far outstripped them in speed, and
easily made their escape. A young puppy, which I purchased from the
Hare Indians, became greatly attached to me, and when about seven
months old ran on the snow by the side of my sledge for nine hundred
miles without suffering from fatigue. During this march, it frequently,
of its own accord, carried a small twig, or one of my mittens, for a
mile or two; but, although very gentle in its manners, it showed little
aptitude in learning any of the arts which the Newfoundland Dogs so
speedily acquire, of fetching and carrying when ordered. This Dog was
killed and eaten by an Indian on the Saskatchewan, who pretended that
he mistook it for a Fox.”[110]
THE ESKIMO DOG.
The importance of this half-tamed variety (see figure on p. 105) to
the cold stunted beings who keep it can hardly be over-estimated. An
undoubted authority, Dr. Robert Brown, F.L.S., observes:--
“When the Greenland Dogs die off, the Greenlander must become extinct:
more certainly even than must the ‘Plain’ Indian when the last Buffalo
is shot. It is impossible for him to drag home the Seals, Sharks,
White Whales, or Narwhals which he may have shot in the winter at the
‘strom-holes’ in the ice without his Dogs; or for the wild native
in the far North to make his long migrations, with his family and
household goods, from one hunting-ground to another without these
domestic animals of his. Yet that sad event seems to be not far
distant. Several years ago, a curious disease, the nature of which has
puzzled veterinarians, appeared among the Arctic Dogs, from high up
in Smith’s Sound down the whole coast of Greenland to Jakobshavn (69°
13′ N. lat.), where the ice-fjord stops it from going farther south;
and the Government uses every endeavour to stop its spread beyond that
barrier by preventing the native Dogs north and south from commingling.
Kane and Hayes lost most of their Dogs through this disease; and at
every settlement in Danish Greenland the natives are impoverished
through the death of their teams. It is noticed that whenever a native
loses his Dogs he goes very rapidly down-hill in the sliding scale of
Arctic respectability, becoming a sort of hanger-on of the fortunate
possessor of a sledge-team.
“During the latter portion of our stay in Jakobshavn, scarcely a day
elapsed during which some of the Dogs were not ordered to be killed, on
account of their having caught this fatal epidemic.
“The Dog is seized with madness, bites at all other Dogs, and
even at human beings. It is soon unable to swallow its food, and
constipation ensues. It howls loudly during the continuance of the
disease, but generally dies in the course of a day, with its teeth
firmly transfixing its tongue. It has thus something of the nature of
hydrophobia, but differs from that disease in not being communicable
by bite, though otherwise contagious among Dogs. The Government sent
out a veterinary surgeon to investigate the nature of the distemper;
but he failed to suggest any remedy, and it is now being ‘stamped out’
by killing the Dogs whenever seized--a heroic mode of treatment, which
will only be successful when the last Dog becomes extinct in Greenland.”
The Eskimo Dog is found throughout a great part of the Arctic
regions--the herds found in Siberia, Kamtschatka, and Arctic America
being all closely allied to one another, and all resembling, to a
wonderful degree, the great Arctic Wolf, from which there can be little
doubt they are descended. In form they resemble the Shepherd’s Dog,
and attain to the size of the Newfoundland. The muzzle and ears are
pointed, the hair long, and with a short yellowish-grey fur between the
hairs. The eyes are often oblique, and the howl peculiarly wolfish.
The colour varies a good deal: some of the Dogs being black, with a
white breast; others white; others reddish, yellowish, or spotted.
This variety in colour is very characteristic of domesticated races of
animals. There is never the same amount of difference found between the
individuals of a wild species.
Not only does the Eskimo Dog agree with the Wolf in appearance, but
also in disposition: it is wild, savage, and obstinate to a degree
almost inconceivable to us, who are only acquainted with civilised
Dogs. In illustration of the wolf-like disposition of the beast, Dr.
Robert Brown relates an incident which shows that it is but little
removed from its probable ancestor. We said above that it was only
half-tamed; so certainly is this the case, that it “can only be kept
in subjection by the most unmerciful lashing, for its savage nature
will out. When at Clyde River, in 1861, I heard of a most horrible
tragedy which had been enacted there a few years before. A man, a boy,
and a little girl landed there from an _omiak_ (or open skin-boat), on
an island where, as is usual, some Dogs were confined. Before the poor
people could escape to their boat, the animals, infuriated by hunger,
sprang upon them. The man and the boy, though much lacerated, managed
to regain the _omiak_, but the poor girl was torn to pieces.”
Wolves could hardly be much worse than this. These Dogs were, however,
confined and half-starved; but another writer[111] relates how he very
nearly fell a victim to a pack of Dogs in actual use, at the door of
his own hut.
“Leaving the hunters to look after their teams, I returned to the
hut. The blinding snow, which battered my face, made me insensible
to everything except the idea of getting out of it; and, thinking of
no danger, I was in the act of stooping to enter the doorway, when a
sudden noise behind me caused me to look around, and there, close at my
heels, was the whole pack of thirteen hungry Dogs, snarling, snapping,
and showing their sharp teeth like a drove of ravenous Wolves. It was
fortunate that I had not got down upon my knees, or they would have
been upon my back. In fact, so impetuous was their attack, that one of
them had already sprung when I faced round. I caught him on my arm, and
kicked him down the hill. The others were for the moment intimidated
by the suddenness of my movement, and at seeing the summary manner in
which their leader had been dealt with; and they were in the act of
sneaking away, when they perceived I was powerless to do them any harm,
having nothing in my hand. Again they assumed the offensive; they were
all around me; an instant more and I should be torn to pieces. I had
faced death in several shapes before, but never had I felt as then; my
blood fairly curdled in my veins. Death down the red throats of a pack
of wolfish Dogs had something about it peculiarly unpleasant. Conscious
of my weakness, they were preparing for a spring; I had not even time
to halloo for help--to run would be the readiest means of bringing
the wretches upon me. My eye swept round the group, and caught sight
of something lying half-buried in the snow about ten feet distant.
Quick as a flash I sprang, as I never sprang before or since, over the
back of a huge fellow who stood before me, and the next instant I was
whirling about me the lash of a long whip, cutting to right and left.
The Dogs retreated before my blows and the fury of my onset, and then
suddenly skulked behind the rocks. The whip had clearly saved my life;
there was nothing else within my reach, and it had been dropped there
quite accidentally by Katutunah as he went down to the sledges.”
The horrible savagery of these poor wretches can hardly be wondered
at; they live in a country where there is hardly a chance for them in
any independent foraging expedition; they are half-starved by their
masters, being fed chiefly on frozen walrus hides in the winter, and
allowed to shift for themselves in the summer when their services are
not required, and are in so perennial and acute a state of hunger that
they are ready at any time to eat their own harness if allowed to do so.
It is generally stated that they are perfectly insensible to kindness,
and only to be kept in order by a liberal application of the lash, or
even of a more formidable weapon; for the Eskimo, if their Dogs are
refractory, do not scruple to beat them about the head with a hammer,
or anything else of sufficient hardness which happens to be at hand.
They will even beat the poor brutes in this horrible manner until they
are actually stunned. Notwithstanding the absolute dependence of the
Eskimo on their Dogs, little or no care is taken of them; they receive
nothing in any degree approaching petting, and spend all their time in
the open air.
The chief use of the Eskimo Dog is to draw the sledges, which are
the only possible conveyance in that frozen land. In all the Arctic
expeditions which have been sent out at various times, a good supply
of Sledge-dogs has been one of the greatest _desiderata_, as without
them it would be absolutely impossible to proceed far. No other animal
would answer the purpose, both horses and cattle being quite useless
in journeys over ice and snow, amongst which the pack of light, active
Dogs make their way with wonderful ease and safety.
The presence of a good leader to every sledge-team is of the first
importance: the other Dogs obey him far more implicitly than the
driver, as he has gained his proud position _vî et armis_, and keeps
all his subordinates in the strictest order. Notwithstanding this, the
behaviour of the team while running is far from exemplary. Captain
Lyon says “they are constantly fighting, and I do not recollect to have
seen one receive a flogging without instantly wreaking his passion
on the ears of his neighbour.” So that it is always best to trust to
a good leader than to any amount of whipping, as the latter may only
involve the whole concern--team, sledge, driver, and all--in hopeless
and inextricable confusion. “Among the Eskimo on the western shores
of Davis Straits, a loose Dog usually precedes the sledge, and, by
carefully avoiding broken places in the ice, acts as a guide to the
sledge-team, which carefully follows his lead.”
Besides their use as draught animals, these Dogs are employed in
Bear and Seal hunting. Their skin is also valuable, and the natives
are extremely fond of their flesh, although, as the Dog is getting
gradually scarcer, they can seldom indulge in the dainty.
THE DOMESTIC DOGS OF OTHER SAVAGE TRIBES.
The Antarctic savages occasionally domesticate the Dingo. Of this Dog
we shall give an account later on. Many of the African savages--such,
for instance, as the Damaras, Namaquas, and Kaffirs--also keep Dogs.
The first-named of these tribes take great care of the Dogs, and value
them highly. Mr. Andersson says he has “known them pay as much as two
fine Oxen for a Dog.” The Kaffir Dogs, on the contrary, are thought
very little of. Mr. Baldwin speaks of them as “a set of noisy curs,
which invariably, at the sight of a white man, tumble head-over-heels
in all directions, upsetting everything, as frightened as if they had
seen an apparition. After the first alarm, they bait you unmercifully,
and for many minutes it is impossible to hear yourself speak. I don’t
know that I ever succeeded in making friends with a real Kaffir cur in
my life, not even a puppy; and I scarcely ever saw, or knew, or heard
of one good for anything; they do, indeed, lead the life of a Dog. They
are well fed when quite young, but afterwards they are expected to
provide for themselves, and are consequently wretchedly lean and mangy,
but they continue to exist.”
Dogs are also half-tamed by the natives of South America, where there
are, according to Humboldt, two very distinct breeds, one “totally
hairless--with the exception of a small tuft of white hair on the
forehead and at the tip of the tail--of a slate-grey colour, and
without voice. This variety was found by Columbus in the Antilles, by
Cortes in Mexico, and by Pizarro in Peru (where it suffers from the
cold of the Cordilleras); and it is still very frequently met with in
the warmer districts of Peru, under the name of _Peiros Chinos_.”
The second kind, sometimes called _Canis ingæ_, “belongs to the barking
species, and has a pointed nose and pointed ears. It is now used for
watching sheep and cattle. It exhibits many varieties of colour,
induced by being crossed with European breeds. The _Canis ingæ_ follows
man up the heights of the Cordilleras. In the old Peruvian graves, the
skeleton of this Dog is sometimes found resting at the feet of the
human mummy, presenting an emblem of fidelity frequently employed by
the mediæval sculptors.”
This breed is also distinguished by great ferocity, and will bite
strangers upon the slightest provocation, or even without any
provocation at all. With their masters, too, they are often very surly.
We now come to
THE DOGS OF CIVILISED NATIONS,
and we commence with the Greyhound and its near allies--Dogs of swift
flight, poor sense of smell, and of a comparatively low order of
intelligence, the brain-case being proportionally smaller than in any
other breed.
THE DALMATIAN DOG.
This is a comparatively unimportant breed; it is employed in England
solely for the purpose of attending on carriages, from which
circumstance it is often called the Carriage-dog. It is about the size
of a Greyhound, usually of a white colour spotted with black, and its
hair is quite short. The Danish Dog is a large sub-variety of the same
breed.
THE GREYHOUND.
The various breeds of this Dog (see figure on p. 117) are the most
elegant in the whole species. The expression “a line of beauty is
perpetual motion,” hackneyed though it be, occurs to every one in
thinking of a Greyhound, the shape and movements of which are so
perfectly graceful. The general characters of the variety are well
known, and are well and pithily given in an old rhyme, quoted by Mr.
Youatt, according to which
“A Greyhounde should be headed lyke a Snake,
And neckyd lyke a Drake,
Fotyd like a Cat,
Tayled like a Ratte,
Syded like a Teme,
And chyned like a Bream.”
The head is proportionally smaller than in any other variety, and,
in consequence of this, the Greyhound is by no means one of the Dogs
particularly noted for intellect, his energy having all gone off in the
direction of speed, and there being, in consequence, none to spare for
brain-power. He is, in fact, an athlete, and nothing more--a pace _et
præterea nihil_. In former times the Greyhound was sufficiently strong
to cope with the Wolf, but for many hundred years he has gradually
degenerated in strength, and towards the close of the last century
was so deficient in courage and perseverance that Lord Oxford, one of
the lights of the sporting world at that time, hit upon the ingenious
plan of crossing his Greyhounds with Bull-dogs. This expedient was so
successful that, “after the sixth or seventh generation, there was not
a vestige left of the form of the Bull-dog; but his courage and his
indomitable perseverance remained, and, having once started after his
game, he did not relinquish chase until he fell exhausted, or perhaps
died. This cross is now almost universally adopted. It is one of the
secrets in the breeding of the Greyhound.”
The form of the Greyhound is as well known as that of any Dog:
its long, slender muzzle, capacious chest, slender loins, and
beautifully-shaped limbs, are familiar to every one; the latter form
a set of spring-levers only equalled by the limbs of a Racehorse or a
Deer. The colour is very variable--black, white, fawn, or brindled. The
hair is short and fine, and the ears rise erect for a certain height
and then hang over.
This Dog is now used only for coursing or hare-hunting. In performing
this task, it is guided entirely by the eye, its sense of smell being
deficient, and practically of no importance in the chase: so that if
once the Greyhound loses sight of the game, the latter is started
again by a Spaniel. The speed attained by a good Greyhound is very
remarkable: it is, indeed, only just inferior to that of a Racehorse.
THE SCOTCH GREYHOUND.
This is a more strongly-built variety or sub-breed of the Common or
English Greyhound. It is less swift than its southern brother, but more
muscular, more hairy, and inclined to “dodge” the Hare in coursing,
instead of winning by speed alone.
THE DEERHOUND.
This is a well-marked variety of the Greyhound breed, distinguished
by stronger form, shaggy hair, and drooping ears. Both in appearance
and in disposition it is wilder and more savage than the Greyhound;
sometimes being decidedly inclined to ferocity. It was a Dog of
this breed, named “Maida,” which was the special favourite of Sir
Walter Scott, and which is so often painted by the side of the great
novelist, who describes his noble hound, under the name of “Bevis,” in
“Woodstock,” as being “in strength a Mastiff, in form and almost in
fleetness a Greyhound. Bevis was the noblest of the kind which ever
pulled down a Stag, tawny-coloured like a Lion, with a black muzzle and
black feet, just edged with a line of white round the toes. He was as
tractable as he was strong and bold.”
THE TURKISH GREYHOUND,
if Greyhound it should be called, is a small Dog, either entirely
devoid of hair, or having only a few hairs on its tail. “He is never
now in the field, and bred only as a spoiled pet--and yet not always
spoiled, for anecdotes are related of his inviolable attachment to his
owner. One of them belonged to a Turkish Pacha, who was destroyed by
the bowstring. He would not forsake the corpse, but laid himself down
by the body of his murdered master, and presently expired.”[112]
THE GRECIAN GREYHOUND
is doubtless the lineal descendant of the one sculptured on Grecian
temples. It is a decidedly less specialised Dog than the English
breed, its head being larger, its snout shorter, and its fur longer,
especially on the tail.
THE PERSIAN GREYHOUND.
This Dog is slenderer, and has more hairy ears than the English breed.
It is “much prized by the Bedouin Sheikhs, and used for the chase
of the Gazelle. With its elegant shape, and the long silky hairs of
its ears and tail, it is, perhaps, the most beautiful race of its
kind.”[113]
THE ITALIAN GREYHOUND
is the smallest variety of the breed, and is used almost exclusively as
a pet, for which it is valuable on account of its exquisitely beautiful
form and its general amiability (see figure on p. 116); but, like many
amiable people, it is a thoroughly silly little beast, devoid of all
higher canine intelligence, and almost incapable of forming a strong
attachment.
In all the Dogs we have yet considered, the brain-case is small, and,
in consequence, the intelligence is not of a very high order. In those
of which we must now treat, the brain-case, with its contained organ,
is of considerable size, giving the Dog the appearance of possessing a
large forehead. They all, too, have great power of scent. There are,
first of all, a number of Dogs consecutively grouped together under the
general term of “Spaniels.”
THE COCKER,
like other Spaniels, has long hair, very long pendent ears, and an
elevated tail. It is one of the smallest of its kind, and is chiefly
used for flushing Woodcocks and Pheasants in thickets and copses, into
which the Setter, and even the Springer, can scarcely enter.
THE SPRINGER
is used for the same purpose as the Cocker, but is a larger, stronger,
and steadier Dog.
THE KING CHARLES’S SPANIEL
has all the Spaniel characteristics in an exaggerated form. Its
forehead is round and prominent, its coat is long and fine, the silky
hair of its pendulous ears sweeps the ground, and its eye is large and
moist. It is very small, and is consequently known almost entirely as a
drawing-room pet. The King Charles of the present day is an interesting
example of deterioration; for, as Mr. Youatt says, “it is materially
altered for the worse.” The muzzle is almost as short, and the forehead
as ugly and prominent, as in the veriest Bull-dog. The eye is increased
to double its former size, and has an expression of stupidity, with
which the character of the Dog too accurately corresponds. Still, there
is the long ear, and the silky coat, and the beautiful colour of the
hair, for which characters the breed is still much prized. The Spaniels
which were the special pets of the heartless voluptuary after whom they
are named were of the black-and-tan kind. Charles I. preferred a black
breed.
THE BLENHEIM SPANIEL
is very similar to the King Charles; and, like it, is almost
exclusively a drawing-room pet.
THE CHINESE PUG-DOG
is an interesting variety, which has been produced by those
indefatigable people, who love anything queer, and seem to think
nothing perfect until it is deformed. Dr. John Edward Grey says of this
Dog:--
“It is a small, long-haired Spaniel, with slender legs, and rather
bushy tail curled over its back. It differs from the Pug-nosed Spaniel,
called King Charles’s Spaniel, in the hair being much longer and more
bushy, the tail closely curled up, and the legs being smaller and
much more slender. The nose of the Chinese or Japanese Pug is said by
some to be artificially produced by force, suddenly or continuously
applied; but that is certainly not the case in the skull that is in the
British Museum, for the bones of the upper jaw and the nose are quite
regular and similar on the two sides, showing no forced distortion of
any kind such as is to be observed in the skulls of some Bull-dogs; for
I believe that some ‘fanciers’ are not satisfied with the peculiarity,
and do sometimes try to increase the deformity by force.”
[Illustration: KING CHARLES’S SPANIELS. (_After Sir Edwin Landseer._)]
Dr. Lockhart states that “there are two kinds of Pug in China: one,
a small black-and-white, long-legged, pug-nosed, prominent-eyed Dog;
the other, long-backed, short-legged, long-haired, tawny-coloured,
with pug-nose and prominent eyes. Sometimes in these Dogs the eyes
are so prominent that I have known a Dog have one of his eyes snapped
off by another Dog in play. The preference for vegetable food is a
fact, but I think it is a result of education, as most of them will
take animal food; this is usually kept from them, so that their growth
and organisation may be kept down. The Sleeve Dog is a degenerated,
long-legged variety of Pug, rigidly kept on low diet, and never allowed
to run about on the ground. They are kept very much on the top of a
kang, or stove bed-place, and not allowed to run about on the ground,
as it is supposed that if they run on the ground they will derive
strength from the ground, and be able to grow large. Their food is much
restricted, and consists chiefly of boiled rice.”
[Illustration: POODLES. (_One-eighth Natural Size._)]
THE WATER-SPANIEL
is larger than any of the Spaniels already mentioned: it is also a
stronger Dog, and has closely-curled hair, and ears proportionally much
shorter than in the preceding breeds. It is used in shooting, having
first to find the game, and then, when a bird falls, to bring it to its
master without mangling. It is one of the most docile and intelligent
of Dogs, and has numerous tales told of it, both in prose and poetry.
Among the latter we may mention Cowper’s well-known piece “The Water
Lily.”
THE POODLE
is a Dog of Continental origin, and is well known by its thick,
generally white, curly hair, which conceals its face and covers its
body like a mat. In France, and sometimes, alas! in England, people
try to improve the breed by shaving off the hair from the hinder half
of the body, with the exception of the tip of the tail, thus making the
wretched animal a spectacle to men and angels. Some misguided people go
even further than this, and dye the hair of various colours--making,
perhaps, a magenta body and a yellow tail, or some other equally
tasteful and appropriate combination.
[Illustration: ST. BERNARD DOGS.]
The Poodle, notwithstanding the way it is treated, is an extremely
intelligent Dog, and capable of learning all sorts of tricks; it will
walk on its hind legs, dance, sham dead, and, in fact, do almost
anything it is taught. It is also affectionate and devoted, and has
shown itself capable of retaining for life the memory of a deceased
master.
A small variety of the Poodle is the _Barbet_, which, according to
Mr. Youatt, is unmanageable except by its owner, ill-tempered, “eaten
up with red mange, and frequently a nuisance to its master and a
torment to every one else.” Notwithstanding this, it is an extremely
intelligent Dog; and, indeed, “the Barbet possesses more sagacity
than most other Dogs, but it is sagacity of a particular kind, and
frequently connected with various amusing tricks. Mr. Jesse, in his
‘Gleanings in Natural History,’ gives a singular illustration of this.
A friend of his had a Barbet that was not always under proper command.
That he might keep him in better order, he purchased a small whip, with
which he corrected him once or twice during a walk. On his return the
whip was put on a table in the hall, but on the next morning it was
missing. It was soon afterwards found concealed in an out-building, and
again made use of in correcting the Dog. Once more it would have been
lost, but, on watching the Dog, who was suspected of having stolen it,
he was seen to take it from the hall-table in order to hide it once
more.”[114]
THE MALTESE DOG
is an animal of the Poodle kind, of very considerable antiquity, as
it is mentioned by Strabo as _Canis melitæus_. It has a long body,
short legs, pendent ears, and long silky hair, of a pure white, or
sometimes yellowish colour. One of the chief points about this Dog is
its extremely small size.
THE LION DOG
is possibly, according to Mr. Youatt, a cross between the Maltese and
the hairless Turkish Dog. Its name is derived from the fact that its
hair, long on the head, neck, and fore-legs, is extremely short over
the rest of the body, except at the end of the tail, where there is a
small tuft.
THE TURKISH DOG
is occasionally seen in England, but is, properly speaking, a native
of hot climates. Its usual name of Turkish or Egyptian Dog is,
however, quite a misnomer. It is almost entirely naked, and, more
curious still, subject to a disease of the teeth, which drop out so
early that the Dogs often have nothing left to bite with but a single
grinder on each side. This Dog is a curious and interesting instance of
degeneration, for its two distinguishing characters--hairlessness and
toothlessness--are actual deformities.
THE ST. BERNARD DOG.
This magnificent breed is now better known than formerly in England,
as it is becoming quite usual to keep them instead of Mastiffs or
Newfoundlands. The readers of _Punch_ have been familiarised with its
form, from Mr. Du Maurier’s sketches, who has been as successful in
depicting the noble Dog as the delightful little girl who, wishing to
enter a bazaar where Dogs are not admitted, proposes to her sister to
hide the gigantic creature under their skirts!
The breed was, until lately, almost confined to the Alps, where it was
kept by the monks of the convent of Mount St. Bernard, and sent out,
provided with a little barrel of brandy tied round its neck, to rescue
travellers lost in the snow. The number of people who have been saved
from death in this way, by the humanity of these good monks and the
intelligence of their Dogs, must be very great, for a single Dog, the
celebrated “Barry,” saved no less than forty lives himself, and at last
perished on one of his expeditions of mercy.
THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG
is, according to Youatt, simply a large Spaniel: it is the finest and
largest of Water-dogs (see figure on p. 121), besides being amongst the
most intelligent and courageous. It is covered with thick curly hair,
usually black or black-and-white, the curls being more flowing and
not so close and woolly as in the ordinary Spaniel or the Retriever.
So fully is this Dog adapted for swimming, that its feet have very
considerable webs, extending between the toes--an evident adaptation to
its aquatic habits.
Of the use and intelligence of this Dog it is needless to give
instances. Again and again it has saved the lives of drowning people
when human help was unavailable. We can give only one anecdote
illustrative of the value of this Dog, whose kindness of heart is equal
to his courage: who will guard and play with a little child or save a
strong man from drowning with equal skill and readiness:--
[Illustration: FOXHOUNDS.]
[Illustration: HEAD OF BLOODHOUND.]
“A native of Germany was travelling one evening on foot through
Holland, accompanied by a large Dog. Walking on a high bank, which
formed one side of a dyke, his foot slipped, and he was precipitated
into the water; and, being unable to swim, soon became senseless. When
he recovered his recollection, he found himself in a cottage on the
contrary side of the dyke, surrounded by peasants, who had been using
the means for the recovery of drowned persons. The account given by
one of them was that, returning home from his labour, he observed at a
considerable distance a large Dog in the water, swimming and dragging,
and sometimes pushing along, something that he seemed to have great
difficulty in supporting, but which he at length succeeded in getting
into a small creek on the opposite side. When the animal had pulled
what he had hitherto supported as far out of the water as he was able,
the peasant discovered that it was the body of a man, whose face and
hands the Dog was industriously licking. The peasant hastened to a
bridge across the dyke, and, having obtained assistance, the body was
conveyed to a neighbouring house, where proper means soon restored the
drowned man to life. Two very considerable bruises, with the marks of
teeth, appeared, one on his shoulder, and the other on his poll; hence
it was presumed that the faithful beast had first seized his master by
the shoulder, and swum with him in this manner for some time, but that
his sagacity had prompted him to quit his hold, and to shift it to the
nape of the neck, by which he had been enabled to support the head out
of water; and in this way he had conveyed him nearly a quarter of a
mile before he had brought him to the creek, where the banks were low
and accessible.”[115]
THE SHEEP DOG.
This is not only the most important of all our domestic breeds, but it
is second to none for intelligence and devotion. It is quite a rare
thing to find a Shepherd’s Dog who will offer the slightest violence
to the animals under its care; and it can often be trusted almost with
the entire management of the flock, driving them from place to place,
gathering them together to be counted, and making altogether a far more
valuable assistant to the shepherd than any human being could possibly
be. The Dog is wholly devoted to the work, and his obedience and skill
are perfect, penning the Sheep from field after field, for his owner,
who foots it slowly after him, and finds the flock ready to his hand.
It used to be credibly reported to us in our boyhood, that some of
these Dogs would lay themselves down by a Sheep that had got _cast_
(_i.e._, was weltering, back downwards, in the clayey furrow, and,
loaded with wet and heavy wool, had lost power to rise); these Dogs, it
was said, would push their arched spine against the helpless Sheep, and
give them sufficient leverage to enable them to rise.
There are different kinds of Sheep Dogs found in different
countries--there are, for instance, the English, the Scotch, and the
French breeds. The Scotch Drover’s Dog is also a well-marked sub-breed.
The Scotch Shepherd’s Dog, or Colley (see figure on p. 120), is now a
good deal used as a pet: it is a very beautiful Dog, with a slender
muzzle, small feet, long straight hair forming a sort of ruff round the
neck; and, beneath this, a sort of under-coat of very soft fine hair.
The origin of the Shepherd’s Dog is, according to Mr. Youatt, “somewhat
various; but the predominant breed is that of the intelligent and
docile Spaniel.”
THE POMERANIAN DOG
is a breed often seen in London streets. It is a beautiful Dog of
medium size, with long, usually white, hair, straight ears, and a
tufted tail. (See figure on p. 125.)
THE CUR
is a cross between the Sheep Dog and the Terrier.
THE LURCHER
was originally bred as a cross between the Sheep Dog and Greyhound, but
was afterwards modified by a further cross with the Spaniel. It is used
a good deal by poachers.
* * * * *
The next group of Dogs is conveniently known as _Hounds_; they are all
used in the chase, and, being bred and selected especially for this
work, are good for little else.
THE BEAGLE
is the smallest of the Hounds, usually not exceeding ten or twelve
inches in height. These Dogs were formerly a good deal used in
Hare-hunting, and were celebrated for their uniform size, close
running, and musical voice. So small were they that they used to be
carried to the field in panniers.
THE HARRIER
was also used for hunting the Hare. It is about half-way between the
Beagle and the Greyhound as to size.
THE FOXHOUND
is, in England at least, the most important of the Hound group. He
may, in fact, be looked upon as one of the main supporters of that
peculiarly English institution, the Squirearchy; for what would become
of the average country gentleman if he could not hunt through the
winter six days a week, and visit his Hounds on Sunday?
The Foxhound (see figure on p. 136) “is the old English Hound,
sufficiently crossed with the Greyhound to give him lightness and
speed without impairing his scent.” His height is about twenty-two
to twenty-four inches; his fur short, ears long and drooping, and
tail tolerably straight. He exhibits great variation as to hue;
and an authority, cited by Youatt, “gives a curious account of the
prejudices of sportsmen on the subject of colour. The white Dogs were
curious hunters, and had a capital scent; the black, with some white
spots, were obedient, good hunters, and with good constitutions;
the grey-coloured had no very acute scent, but were obstinate and
indefatigable in their quest; the yellow Dogs were impatient and
obstinate, and taught with difficulty.”
The statement about the particularly good scent of the white Hounds is
very curious, for it is generally found that animals of light colour
are inferior in sensory endowments to darker ones, owing to the absence
of a peculiar black pigment from the delicate membranes to which the
nerves of special sense are distributed.
The pace of the Foxhound is very rapid. One was known to run a course
of four miles one furlong and one hundred and thirty-two yards in a
trifle over eight minutes! Of the correctness of their scent, no one
who has seen the Hounds put off and watched the unerring way they
pursue the Fox, can have any doubt.
THE STAGHOUND.
This is the largest of modern English Hounds, and the one which most
nearly approaches in character the old “Hound” which fell into disuse
on account of its slowness, but which we often find mentioned in
olden writers. Shakspere, for instance, writes of this old English or
Southern Hound in “Midsummer Night’s Dream”:--
_Hip._ I was with Hercules and Cadmus once,
When in a wood of Crete they bay’d the bear
With hounds of Sparta: never did I hear
Such gallant chiding; for, besides the groves,
The skies, the fountains, every region near
Seem’d all one mutual cry: I never heard
So musical a discord, such sweet thunder.
_The._ My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind,
So flew’d, so sanded; and their heads are hung
With ears that sweep away the morning dew;
Crook-knee’d and dew-lapp’d, like Thessalian bulls;
Slow in pursuit, but match’d in mouth like bells,
Each under each. A cry more tuneable
Was never holla’d to, nor cheer’d with horn,
In Crete, in Sparta, nor in Thessaly:
Judge when you hear.
Of the powers of scent possessed by the Staghound, the following is a
notable example:--
“Lord Oxford reduced four Stags to so perfect a degree of submission,
that, in his short excursions, he used to drive them in a phaeton made
for the purpose. He was one day exercising his singular and beautiful
steeds in the neighbourhood of Newmarket, when their ears were saluted
with the unwelcome cry of a pack of Hounds, which, crossing the road
in their rear, had caught the scent, and leaving their original object
of pursuit, were now in rapid chase of the frightened Stags. In vain
his grooms exerted themselves to the utmost; the terrified animals
bounded away with the swiftness of lightning, and entered Newmarket
at full speed. They made immediately for the Ram Inn, to which his
lordship was in the habit of driving, and, having fortunately entered
the yard without any accident, the stable-keepers huddled his lordship,
the phaeton, and the Deer, into a large barn, just in time to save
them from the Hounds, who came into the yard in full cry a few seconds
afterwards.”
THE BLOODHOUND.
This Dog resembles pretty closely the Deerhound, or old English Hound,
but is considerably larger, with longer ears of a soft and delicate
texture, and deeper “flews,” or down-hanging upper lips. (See figure on
p. 137.) The colour is brown, verging to reddish along the back, and to
light fawn-colour below. The eyes should be surrounded with a distinct
red ring, due to the exposure of the delicate membrane lining the
eyelids. To judge from the animal’s countenance, no one would imagine
the horrid purpose for which it was originally bred, for few Dogs have
a milder, more benevolent, or more intelligent visage.
[Illustration: POINTERS.]
In former times, these Dogs were used to track robbers and other
offenders, a duty which they performed with the most unerring accuracy,
never giving up the chase until they had brought their miserable quarry
to bay. When engaged in this work, all their mildness disappeared, and
they were transformed into perfect furies. Mr. Youatt, writing in 1845,
says:--“The Thrapstone Association lately trained a Bloodhound for the
detection of Sheep-stealers. In order to prove the utility of this Dog,
a person whom he had not seen was ordered to run as far and as fast as
his strength would permit. An hour afterwards, the Hound was brought
out. He was placed on the spot whence the man had started. He almost
immediately detected the scent, and broke away, and, after a chase
of an hour and a half, found him concealed in a tree fifteen miles
distant!”
THE SETTER,
according to Youatt, “is evidently the large Spaniel, improved to
his peculiar size and beauty, and taught another way of marking his
game, viz., by _setting_ or crouching. If the form of the Dog were not
sufficiently satisfactory on this point, we might have recourse to
history for information on it. Mr. Daniel, in his ‘Rural Sports,’ has
preserved a document, dated in the year 1685, in which a yeoman binds
himself, for the sum of ten shillings, fully and effectually to teach a
Spaniel to _sit_ Partridges and Pheasants. The first person, however,
who systematically broke-in sitting Dogs is supposed to have been
Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, in 1335.” The hinder surface of the
legs, and the under surface of the tail of the Setter, should be well
“feathered,” that is, beset with long hair.
THE POINTER.
Mr. Darwin says:--“Our Pointers are certainly descended from a Spanish
breed, as even the names Don, Ponte, Carlos, &c., would show. It is
said that they were not known in England before the Revolution in 1688;
but the breed, since its introduction, has been much modified,” the
change having been “chiefly effected by crosses with the Foxhound.”
The value of this Dog consists in his habit of “pointing,” or standing
silently, with lifted foot and outstretched muzzle, as soon as he finds
game. A very remarkable circumstance with regard to this habit is the
way in which it is inherited: a young Dog points instinctively the
first time he is taken into the field.
More or less distinct sub-breeds of the Pointer are to be found in
Spain, Portugal, France, and Russia. The hair is short, the colour
variable.
THE RETRIEVER,
according to Brehm, is a cross between the Newfoundland and the
Pointer. It is a good water-dog, and is used for sport, especially
in shooting water-birds. It derives its name from its talent for
_retrieving_, or following a wounded bird, and bringing it back to the
sportsman without mangling. It is a large Dog, with a good forehead
and long ears, and is covered with a closely-curled hide of a brown or
black colour. (See figure on p. 113.)
THE OTTER-HOUND
is a breed formerly in great requisition for hunting the Otter, a sport
which is now almost if not quite discontinued. This Dog “used to be of
a mingled breed, between the Southern Hound and the rough Terrier, and
in size between the Harrier and the Foxhound.”
THE TURNSPIT.
Before the invention of bottle-jacks, this Dog was used in England to
turn the spit on which the joint was roasted, for which purpose they
were attached to a sort of wheel. It is a queer-looking Dog--very
long-bodied and very short-legged, and is possessed of a great degree
of intelligence. Brehm relates an anecdote of two Turnspits, who
were employed in the kitchen of a house at Plessis, one of whom, the
cook’s favourite, had to turn the spit on Mondays and Wednesdays; the
other taking his turn on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Friday and
Saturday were holidays for both. One Wednesday the favourite Dog was
absent, and the cook endeavoured to press into service the other rather
than search for and disturb his pet. But No. 2, although he had made
no objection to having three days of work to his mate’s two, could not
stand this: he growled and bit, and positively refused to be harnessed.
At last he rushed out of the house, and made his way to an open place,
where his lazy colleague was playing with some friends. As soon as he
saw the truant, he hustled and bit at him, and finally drove him into
the house to the cook’s feet, having accomplished which act of justice
he became calm, and looked quietly up to his master, as much as to
say--“Here’s your Dog: it’s _his_ turn now.”
[Illustration: DACHSHOUNDS, OR BADGER-DOGS.]
[Illustration: BULL DOG.]
THE DACHSHOUND, OR BADGER-DOG,
is a German breed, closely allied to the Turnspit, but with the
characters of the latter exaggerated. The fore-legs are crooked at the
wrist-joint, and the feet are very large. It was originally bred, as
its name implies, for Badger-hunting, and, so strong is its instinct
for the sport even now it has become a drawing-room pet, that it will
rush at anything that looks like a hole, and begin to burrow vigorously.
THE BULL-DOG
is undoubtedly the most savage and untamable of all the breeds: he is,
moreover, except to the eyes of a fancier, the ugliest; for, although
he has not the grotesque proportions of the Turnspit, yet his crooked
legs, Rat’s tail, flat forehead, little wicked eyes, turned-up nose,
big mouth, and underhung lower jaw, make him a creature absolutely
hideous to any one whose taste is not sufficiently cultivated to enable
him to admire anything “proper.” The two features of the crooked legs
and the underhung jaw are simply selected and perpetuated deformities.
The projection of the lower jaw and the receding of the nose are
extremely marked, and give the Dog a most sinister appearance. The
chest of a good Bull-dog is very broad and strong. The hind-quarters,
on the other hand, are comparatively feeble.
The Bull-dog was formerly used--as its name implies--for the barbarous
“sport” of Bull-baiting, in which our forefathers took so much delight.
The Dog would seize upon the Bull’s nose and lip, and no power in
heaven or earth could make him leave his hold. He would even fight
with the Lion, and seize upon his gigantic antagonist again and again,
although torn and mangled all over with great claw-wounds.
Although not a water-dog, the Bull-dog is a capital swimmer, his
immense strength and indomitable pluck giving him an advantage over
even such a professed swimmer as the Newfoundland. “During a heavy
gale, a ship had struck on a rock near the land. The only chance
of escape for the shipwrecked was to get a rope ashore; for it was
impossible for any boat to live in the sea as it was then running.
There were two Newfoundland Dogs and a Bull-dog on board. One of the
Newfoundland Dogs was thrown overboard, with a rope thrown round him,
and perished in the waves. The second shared a similar fate; but the
Bull-dog fought his way through that terrible sea, and, arriving safe
on shore, rope and all, became the saviour of the crew.”
Little is known as to the origin of the Bull-dog, but Mr. Darwin
makes the curious and interesting statement that “some authors who
have written on Dogs maintain that the Greyhound and Bull-dog, though
appearing so different, are really closely-allied varieties, descended
from the same wild stock; hence I was anxious to see how far their
puppies differed from each other.... On actually measuring the old
Dogs and their six-day old puppies, I found that the puppies had not
acquired nearly the full amount of proportional difference.”
THE BULL-TERRIER
is a cross between the Bull-dog and the Terrier, and is generally
superior, both in appearance and value, to either of its progenitors.
“A second cross considerably lessens the underhanging of the lower jaw,
and a third entirely removes it, retaining the spirit and determination
of the animal.”
THE MASTIFF.
This Dog “is probably an original breed peculiar to the British
Islands.” It is larger than the Bull-dog, has a head of somewhat the
same shape, with deep flews, but its ears are pendent, and it has
none of the Bull-dog’s deformity. (See figure on p. 109.) From the
Bloodhound it is distinguished by the shape of the head, which is
rounder and shorter, and by the absence of the red ring round the eye.
At the present day, the Mastiff is used chiefly as a house Dog, for
which purpose his fidelity and strength make him thoroughly well suited.
THE CUBAN MASTIFF
is about intermediate in size between the Bull-dog and the English
Mastiff; in appearance it closely resembles the latter. It is an
extremely savage Dog, and was used in the days of slavery for tracking
runaway negroes. It is now used as a watch Dog, and, by the Spaniards,
for Bull-fighting.
THE TIBET DOG.
This magnificent animal is kept by the Bhoteas, a race inhabiting the
table-lands of Tibet, who use it as a watch Dog. It is about the size
of a Newfoundland Dog, but with a head more like that of a Mastiff, the
“flews,” or pendent side-flaps of the upper lip, being of great-size.
The hair is long, and the tail bushy and well curled.
[Illustration: TIBET DOG.]
Mr. Bennett says of some specimens kept in the Zoological Gardens
many years ago, that they “were larger than any English Mastiff we
have seen. Their colour was a deep black, slightly clouded on the
sides; their feet and a spot over each eye alone being of a full tawny
or bright brown. They had the broad, short, truncated muzzle of the
Mastiff, and lips still more deeply pendulous.” In disposition they
are--at any rate in their native country--“tremendously fierce, strong,
and noisy; and while savage by nature, or soured by confinement, so
impetuously fierce, that it is unsafe, unless the keepers are near,
even to approach their dens.”
This Dog was known to the Greeks and Romans, whose writers mention its
fierce conflicts with the Aurochs, the Wild Boar, and even the Lion.
THE ENGLISH TERRIER.
This is a small Dog, with a good forehead, prominent eye, pointed
muzzle, and usually short hair. The colour varies greatly--white and
black-and-tan being perhaps the commonest hues; in the latter case,
there is always a tan-coloured spot on the eye, a circumstance which it
is interesting to remark, as a similar spot occurs in nearly all black
Dogs with tan-coloured feet.
The Terrier is used for unearthing the Fox, but his chief
accomplishment is Rat-killing, in which noble sport he is a great
adept. “There are some extraordinary accounts of the dexterity, as
well as courage, of the Terrier in destroying Rats. The feats of a Dog
called ‘Billy’ will be long remembered. He was matched to destroy one
hundred large Rats in eight minutes and a half. The Rats were brought
into the ring in bags, and as soon as the number was complete, he was
put over the railing. In six minutes and thirty-five seconds they
were all destroyed. In another match he destroyed the same number in
six minutes and thirteen seconds. At length, when he was getting old,
and had but two teeth and one eye left, a wager was laid of thirty
sovereigns, by the owner of a Berkshire Bitch, that she would kill
fifty Rats in less time than Billy. The old Dog killed his fifty in
five minutes and six seconds. The pit was then cleared and the Bitch
let in. When she killed thirty Rats she was completely exhausted,
fell into a fit, and lay barking and yelping, utterly incapable of
completing her task.”
THE SCOTCH TERRIER
has a large head, short stout legs, and long, rough, shaggy hair. The
colours of the pure breed are black and fawn. This breed is probably
of more ancient origin than the English Terrier. It is an extremely
intelligent, faithful, and affectionate animal, and, like its relative
from south of the Border, a great Rat-catcher. The “_Dandie Dinmont_”
breed, so well known from the immortal Pepper and Mustard in “Guy
Mannering,” is a variety of the Scotch Terrier; so also is the _Skye
Terrier_, which is distinguished by its long hair and short legs. In
all these Terriers, as well as in the English breed, a black nose and
black roof to the mouth are points of importance.
PARIAH DOGS.
Having considered the chief _bonâ fide_ varieties of the Dog, we come,
lastly, to those nondescript animals, the _Pariahs_, or domesticated
Dogs run wild, which occur in packs in many parts of Eastern Europe
and of Asia. These herds of miserable, half-starved animals are
undoubtedly not true wild Dogs, but degenerated tame ones, the Dog
being derived from a wild ancestor, under certain circumstances shows
his descent by reverting to the habits of his forbears. Instances
of this occur occasionally in the case of even the better breeds of
Dogs. For instance: “A black Greyhound Bitch, belonging to a gentleman
in Scarisbrick, in Lancashire, though she had apparently been well
broken-in and always well used, ran away from the habitation of her
master, and betook herself to the woods. She killed a great many Hares
and made free with the Sheep, and became an intolerable nuisance to the
neighbourhood. She was occasionally seen, and the depredations that
were committed were brought home to her. Many were the attempts made
to entrap or destroy her, but in vain; for more than six months she
eluded the vigilance of her pursuers. At length she was observed to
creep into a hole in an old barn. She was caught as she came out, and
the barn being searched three whelps were found, which, very foolishly,
were destroyed. The Bitch evinced the utmost ferocity, and, although
well secured, attempted to seize every one who approached her. She
was, however, dragged home, and treated with kindness. By degrees her
ferocity abated. In the course of two months she became perfectly
reconciled to her original abode, and a twelvemonth afterwards (1822),
she ran successfully several courses. There was still a degree of
wildness in her appearance; but although at perfect liberty, she seemed
to be altogether reconciled to a domestic life.”
Captain Williamson says “that many persons affect to treat the idea of
degeneration in quadrupeds with ridicule; but all who have been any
considerable time resident in India must be satisfied that Dogs of
European breed become, after every successive generation, more and more
similar to the Pariah, or indigenous Dog of that country. The Hounds
are the most rapid in their decline, and, except in the form of their
ears, they are very much like many of the village curs. Greyhounds and
Pointers also rapidly decline, although with occasional exceptions.
Spaniels and Terriers deteriorate less; and Spaniels of eight or nine
generations, and without a cross from Europe, are not only as good as,
but far more beautiful than, their ancestors. The climate is too severe
for Mastiffs, and they do not possess sufficient stamina; but, crossed
by the East Indian Greyhound, they are invaluable in hunting the Hog.”
The Pariah Dogs occur in Turkey, Egypt, Syria, China, India, &c.,
varying a good deal according to their abode. Their habits are well
described by Mr. G. R. Jesse, whose account of the Egyptian Pariah
will apply equally well to that of Constantinople, or of any other
place where sanitary regulations are simply _nil_, and where the Dogs
are the only creatures who make any attempt to clear the place of
fever-breeding filth.
“The Dogs of the Egyptian towns are masterless, and live on carcases
thrown out on the mounds of rubbish outside the walls and what is
cast them by the charitable. In the villages, and with the shepherds
along the desert, they are better cared for, protecting the property
of the people from thieves, and their animals from wild beasts. These
Dogs are generally sandy in colour, but they vary--some are black,
and others white. At Ermeret, near Thebes, is a breed of black Dogs,
quite different from those of Lower Egypt--fierce, excellent watchers,
having roughish wiry hair, and drooping but small ears: they are stated
to be derived from the Slowara Arabs. Numbers of Dogs congregate on
some of the rubbish mounds outside the gates and walls of Cairo, and
live on the carcases of Horses, Asses, &c., which are thrown there,
the Arabs not having arrived at that pitch of Western economy which
terminates the utility of a beast of burden at a cheap restaurant.
These masterless Dogs act as scavengers, in which capacity they are
accompanied by the large black-and-white yellow-billed Carrion Hawk,
Kites, and troops of black-and-grey Carrion Crows. Among the skeletons,
and scattered bones, heads, and hoofs, these Dogs--about two feet in
height, generally of a yellow colour, or black, or a dirty white,
smooth-skinned, and mostly with erect pointed ears--may be seen in
crowds, their mouths and necks bloody, snarling, snapping, fighting,
tearing, and gorging to repletion. The bitches scratch holes in the
rubbish-heaps, and there bring forth their young. After the bones of
the dead animals are cleared of flesh by the Dogs, bundles of them are
collected and carried off by women and children. The Dogs of the town
associate in bands, and each band has its district and its chief. No
other Dog is permitted to enter the territory without being at once
assailed. If, however, a Dog wishes to pass from one quarter of the
town to another, he is said to creep along with his tail down in a
humble manner, and immediately the Dogs of that part come upon him
to throw himself on his back, and deprecate their attack. After due
examination, he is allowed to proceed, but repeats his submissive
actions whenever he meets new foes, and so, after enduring repeated
challenges, gains his destination. These Dogs are still and quiet
during the day (unless, indeed, an European comes in sight, when their
vociferousness is loud and long), but at night they are very vigilant,
and guard the bazaars against the nocturnal thief.”
In some parts of India the superfluous Pariahs are utilised by giving
them as food to caged Tigers. An anecdote is related of one who proved
himself a match for the Tiger, and who was, as a reward, admitted to
close intimacy with the royal beast.
“I knew an instance,” says Captain Williamson, “of one that was
destined for the Tiger’s daily meal standing on the defensive, in a
manner that completely astonished both the Tiger and the spectator.
He crept into a corner, and whenever the Tiger approached, seized him
by the lip or the neck, making him roar most piteously. The Tiger,
however, impelled by hunger--for all supply of food was purposely
withheld--would renew the attack. The result was ever the same. At
length the Tiger began to treat the Dog with more deference, and not
only allowed him to partake of the mess of rice and milk furnished
daily for his subsistence, but even refrained from any attempt to
disturb him. The two animals at length became reconciled to each other,
and a strong attachment was formed between them. The Dog was then
allowed ingress and egress through the aperture; and, considering the
cage as his home, he left it and returned to it just as he thought
proper. When the Tiger died he moaned the loss of his companion for a
considerable period.”
In Siam, these unhappy creatures are equally abundant, and are even
worse off. Mr. Thomson[116] states that they occur in great numbers in
nearly all the temples. “It is contrary to the Buddhist creed to take
away life; hence many of their temples become places of refuge for
troops of famished Dogs, who remain there till they die; for though the
priests give them what food they can spare, there is never enough for
them all. These Dogs, then, are usually animated skeletons, their skins
destitute of hair, and covered with many sores. I tossed them a little
food; it gave rise to the most savage fight I ever witnessed. One or
two wretched curs limped away from the strife, torn and lacerated,
probably to lie down and die. This canine community--fierce, hungry,
and diseased--must surely be one of those many Buddhist hells where
sorcerers expiate their crimes. The animals are deemed to be animated
by the spirits of the departed, and are undergoing a lifetime of
torture. The priests, if they are good men, look on at their misery
with pious complacency, and probably take the lesson to heart, lest
they, too, in the next stage of their existence, should be condemned to
howl for offal or garbage to satisfy the hungry pangs and sore-eaten
frames of starving Pariah Dogs.”
[Illustration: DINGO.]
THE INDIAN WILD DOG.[117]
This animal, which exists in large numbers all over the peninsulas of
India and Malacca, differs so much from the ordinary Dogs, that it
has been proposed to separate it from them under a different generic
name, _Cuon_. Its distinctive characters are, however, by no means
sufficiently great to warrant this separation. It occurs, under
slightly different varieties, in different parts of India, and receives
various native names. By the Mahrattas it is called _Kolsun_ (_Canis
dukhunensis_ of Colonel Sykes); _Sona kúta_, or Golden Dog, in Central
India; _Buansú_ in the Himalayas; _Dhole_ in Ceylon, and so on.
A capital notion of the appearance of this interesting Dog may be
obtained from a case of stuffed specimens now in the India Museum at
South Kensington. The Zoological Society has at different times been
able to exhibit in their Gardens more or less fine examples of the
Indian Wild Dog. Dr. Murie gives the following account of a male and
female specimen sent to the Gardens some time ago:--
“Their _tout ensemble_ conveyed to me the idea of a compound between
Wolf, Jackal, and Fox, partly on account of their colour, partly from
their size and general shape, and also partially from the contour of
the head, ear-outline, and direction of the eyes. But, on the other
hand, a critical inspection left the impression that they were more
markedly of the Dog type. This pair of animals very nearly corresponded
in size,” the most important dimensions being--length, from snout to
tip of tail, forty-two inches; length of the tail, twelve inches;
height at shoulder, about fifteen inches, and at the loins about
sixteen inches.
“Their colour was entirely reddish or fulvous brown, and remarkably
like the tint of a Fox. The tip of the nose and lower part of the
face was somewhat darker; the tail also exhibited deepening of hue.
Moreover, upon the outer side of the hind-leg, and similarly on the
fore-limb, there was a tendency, though a very indistinct one, to
whitish spotting.... Of those features marking race, the tail was
moderately lengthened, dark, and full below, as in the Jackal or Wolf,
and not with the great round brush of the Fox. The eye had a certain
obliquity; but the pupil, as far as I could ascertain, was round. Ears
large, erect, and hairy.”
“I am not cognisant of any observations as to their habits having been
noted prior to their receipt by the Society. But I may mention that
when in the Gardens they were exceedingly active, snapping, snarling,
and in their general behaviour resembling a couple of Wolves rather
than sedate Dogs. I am not aware that they were heard to bark; but
occasionally they howled and whined.”
The Wild Dog has thus, in many respects, an appearance resembling that
of a Fox or a Jackal, with which it also agrees in its filthy smell. It
is, however, a true Dog, although less specialised than the domestic
kinds, and therefore approaching the average structure of the wild
_Canidæ_.
These Dogs hunt in packs, six, eight, ten, or as many as thirty,
animals in a pack. They hunt either by night or day; and it is said
that “when once a pack of them put up any animal, no matter whether
Deer or Tiger, that animal’s doom is sealed; they never leave it. They
will dog their prey for days, if need be, and run it down exhausted,
and if it turns to fight, they go in fearlessly, and by their numbers
win. All animals dread the Wild Dog; others they may elude by speed,
artifice, or battle: but their instinct tells them that there is no
escaping the Wild Dog, as it hunts in packs by scent as well as by
sight, and is as brave as it is persevering.”
They make no noise when running, except sometimes a low whispering kind
of note, which may either express their own gratification, or act as
a signal to other Dogs. Great numbers of them are destroyed in their
hunting expeditions, as the larger animals, such as the Elk and Boar,
defend themselves with great fierceness, and sacrifice many of their
pursuers before they fall a victim to the overwhelming numbers and
unconquerable perseverance of the latter.
In some parts of India they are half-domesticated, and used in the
noble sport of “Pig-sticking.” “They are remarkably savage, and
frequently will approach none but their _doonahs_, or keepers, not
allowing their own masters to come near them. Some of them are very
fleet, but they are not to be depended upon in coursing; for they are
apt suddenly to give up the chase when it is a severe one, and, indeed,
they will too often prefer a Sheep or a Goat to a Hare. In Hog-hunting
they are more valuable. It seems to suit their temper, and they appear
to enjoy the snapping and the snarling incident to that species of
sport.”[118]
THE DINGO, OR AUSTRALIAN WILD DOG.[119]
This is another distinct breed of Wild Dog, quite as remarkable in its
way as the Indian Wild Dog, and possessing far greater interest than
the latter, from the fact that it is the only Mammal not belonging to
the group of Marsupials, or pouched animals (Kangaroos, Wombats, &c.),
found in the great island of Australia. In all probability, it is not
a true native even there, but was most likely introduced before the
discovery of the island by Europeans.
The Dingo “approaches in appearance to the largest kind of Shepherd’s
Dog (see figure on page 147). The head is elongated, the forehead
flat, and the ears short and erect, or with a slight direction
forwards. The body is thickly covered with hair of two kinds--the one
woolly and grey, the other silky and of a deep yellow or fawn colour.
The limbs are muscular, and, were it not for the suspicious yet
ferocious glare of the eye, he might pass for a handsome Dog. When he
is running, the head is lifted more than usual in Dogs, and the tail is
carried horizontally. He seldom barks.”[120]
There are some Dingoes in the Zoological Gardens, and one would never
guess their savageness of disposition from their innocent faces. They
are decidedly good-looking Dogs in appearance, but as regards temper
they are anything but pleasant animals, although quite tamable if
taken young: they are, indeed, often domesticated by the natives, but
are never known to attain to those higher qualities which make the
thoroughly civilised Dog so valuable.
“When Van Diemen’s Land began to be colonised by Europeans, the losses
sustained by the settlers by the ravages of the Wild Dogs were almost
incredible. The districts infested by these animals were principally
those appropriated to Sheep, and there was scarcely a flock that did
not suffer. It was in vain to double the number of shepherds, to watch
by night and day, or to have fires at every quarter of the field; for
these animals would accomplish their object by stratagem or force.
One colony lost no fewer than 1,200 Sheep and Lambs in three months;
another colony lost 700.
“The ravagers were either the native Wild Dogs of the island or those
that had escaped from their owners. They seemed to have apportioned
the country into different districts, each troop having its allotted
range. At length the evil became so great, that a general meeting of
the colonists was convened. The concluding sentences of the speech of
Lieutenant Hill forcibly express the extent of the evil:--‘The country
is free from bushrangers: we are no longer surrounded and threatened by
the natives. We have only one enemy left in the field; but that enemy
strikes at the root of our welfare, and through him the stream of our
prosperity is tainted at its very source.’ The colonists were then few,
but they cordially united in the endeavour to extirpate this formidable
enemy; and, although the Wild Dog is still found in the interior of the
island, he is comparatively seldom seen, and his ravages have nearly
ceased.”[121]