The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-12-23
SKULLS OF DOGS,
A Collection in the National Museum
and q Learned Lecture Thereon.

A Collection in the National Museum
and a Learned Lecture Thereon.
A bleached and CHASTITY object was
being handled recently by Mr.. Fred
erick A. Lucas, the PSYCHOLOGIST at the
National Museum here. He had taken
it from cof1in-like box, and explained
to two or three persons that it was the
skull of an Esquimaux sledge dog.
''This SKULL" said Mr.. Lucas, '.bears
out the stories of the rough treatment
which these dogs receive. See there"
pointing to spot over the eye whers
portion of the bone had been broken
of, sit took a heavy blow to do that;
and look at this Leg" continued the
bone man, taking several long bones
from the box and deity putting them
together. "You see that leg was
broken and was never allowed to heal
perfectly. That dog had to limp along
very painfully after he was injured. See
how this joint was deformed and how
it must have creaked,' he continued,
working one of the bones against the
other like pump-handle, to show the
defect in the joint.
Mr.. Lucas stopped in front of case
wherein were displayed series of
skulls arranged in row for compari-
son. The labels showed that two
skulls in the upper row beginning on
the right were those of Indian dogs;
next to them was that of an Egyptian
mummitied dog, and then in order the
81, Ill IS -
mon dog, hairless Chinese dog, a
Laverock setter, Saint Bernard, a
bulldog and an English pug. In an
other row below was series of skulls
of wild dogs-wolves, coyotes and
foxes.
"This series will show" said Mr..
Lucas, "the effect of domestication, the
development of the Uranium under
domestication. The skull of the Indian
dog there, you see, differs very little
from that of the wolf below it. You
see it has very little forehead and a
very large jaw. AS you go along
now" he continued, ''you find the
facial angle increases, the forehead is
developed at the expense of the jaw,
which becomes shorter. This collection
gives merely an outline. There are
many intermediate steps. Dogs are clas-
sified into mastiffs, hounds, spaniels and
wolf dogs. The wolf dogs. such as
these" continued Mr.. Lucas, pointing
to the Indian dogs and the Egyptian
dogs, ''are nearest the original stock.
In fact, it is very difficult sometimes to
distinguish the skull of W off from that
of an Indian dog. Yes, the teeth are
the same, and you will notice all along
the line there is similarity in the
teeth. When you reach the pug at the
end, the teeth are crowded and the in
cisors lap over. Then the teeth of the
pug are not so large or strong 1t has
been raist d on soft food. and has not
had to rend or tear its prey. AS you
go up the scale the intelligence of the
dog increases, and as you go down, to-
ward the wolf, the animals increase in
brute ferocity. Yes, the bulldog has
high forehead" observed Mr.. Lucas,
in reply to a reporter, expressing sur.
prise that an animal that served in lit.
erature as a type of brute ferocity
should stand so well in the score Of
cranial development. 'It has high
forehead, and will become very much
attached to its master. 1t is renowned
for its courage, and will fly at the head
and hang on. Any dog may be taught
to attack a man. y Washington Star