The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1880-06-24
NUMBER 70.
The Pedigree Of the Dog.

sa While considering the problem OF the
origin of the dog, in recent lecture at
the ROYAL Institute, in London, Prof.
Huxley expressed the opinion that its
solution was easy if beginning was
made upon solid basis of fact Such a
basis of fact was supplied by what was
known of the origin of dogs in North
America The Indians of the northwest
ern parts Of America were all in posses
sion of half tame cur-ike dogs, living in
the same way as the dogs in Egypt--iin
a semi-independent condition. In the
same country there exists Wild animal
the CAMS latra,as, or prairie wolf. 1t
was somewhat difficult to understand how
these wild and fierce animals could be
tanned and yet, when one knew their
habits it was easy enough. The smaller
wolves and jackals, although predacious
and fierce, were endowed with singular
curiosity that curiosity directed them
toward man and his doings. There was
young whether jackal or small wolf
could not be, tanned and made as attached
and devoted to man as any ordinary dog.
It, was not difficult to understand, there
fore, ,howthese animals became acquainted
with man, how they became trained, and
how from them sprangi race OF domestic
animals which, bcuriously enough, were
far more attached: to their masters and
the animals with which theywere brought
up than to memberssof their. own family.
If they could depend upon the fact that
this one domestic dog originated in the
tanning of an Indigenous wild animal,
then the general problem Of the origin
of domestic dogs would take this form
could they find in all parts of the world
in which domestic dogs were known wild
stock SO similar to the existing race of
dogs that there was nothing unnatural in
supposing that they had the same origin
as the Indian dogs? They might trace
dog-ike animals further and further west,
until, in Northern sAfrica,, they had o
whole series Of kinds Of dogaike animals,
usually known as jackals.a He believed
that these wild stocks were the source
from which, in each case the sayages who
originally began to tame dogs had derived
their stock. This view was confirmed by
archaeological researches. They.had pre-
served to them, on the mountains, of
ancient Egypt, a great variety of forms
Of dogs, and it was sufficient that the
further back they went the fewer were
the yariaties, until, at the time Of the
third and fourth dynasties- that is about
5000 years ago--rthere we're only two
well marked forms of dogs, One of them
was comparatively small cur-ike dog,
similar to that which was to be seen in
the streets ofs Cairo at the present day,
and the other was Like. greyhound. The
cur Was, no doubt, q tame species of the
wild iaclal which WAS still to be fOilnd
in the same country /; and with respect to
the greyhound, there was in Abyssinia a
very long=headed dog which was very
much of the same form as the greyhound,
and which, it could hardly be doubted,
was the source from which il. sprang.
: Assuming that there was no doubt, that
the origin Of, dogs could be traced to
these sources, the more modified forms of
the domestic animal were simply the
result of the selected breeding, which
had given rise to the same modification
in dogs as it had done in the case of
pigeons. Scientific AnneyScn',. ...5.,7e.