The Red Cloud chief., 1886-01-01
SKULLS OF DOGS.
a Collection In the National Museum
and ~ Learned Lecture Thereon.

a Collection in the NatiOnAl Museun
and ~ Learned Lecture Thereon.
A blcachcd and gha>tly objec. was
being handled recently by Mr.. Fred
erick A. Lucas. the ostcologi>t at the
National Museum here He had taken
it from coflin-like box. and explained
to two or three persons that it was the
skull Of an Esquimaux sledgc 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 where
portion Of the bone had been broken
of, lit took a heavy blow to do that;
and look at this leg" continued the
bone man. taking several long bones
from 'he box and deftly 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 dcformed and how
i; must have creakcd." he continued.
working one Of the bones against the
other like pump-handlc. to show the
defect in the Joint.
Mr.. Lucas stopped in front Of a case
wherein were displayed a series Of
skulls arranged in a row for compari-
son. The labels showed that two
skulls in the upper row beginning on
the right were those of Indian dogs:
next 10 them was that of an Egyptian
mummiiicd deg. and then i'm order the
skulls Of Newfoundland. Of COM
mon dog. \ hairless Chinese dog. q
Laverock setter. Saint Bernard. n
bulldog and an English pug. In an
other row below was a series of skulls
of wild dogs-wolves, coyotes and
foxes.
This series will show" said Mr..
Lucas, 1.-THE effect Of domesiication. the
development Of the Uranium under
domestica;ion. 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 aud
very large jaw. As YOU go along
now" he continued. .'you find the
facial angle increases. the forehead il
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 mastifis, 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 wolf from that
of Al 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 a, the
end. the teeth are crowded and the in
cisors lap over. Then the teeth Of the
pug are not 50 large or strong. IL has
been raised on soft food. and has no,
mad 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
q high forehead, observed Mr.. Lucas,
in reply 10 3 reporter. expressing sur.
prise that an animal that served in lit
erature IS type Of brute ferocits
should stand so well in the score of
cranial development III has high |
forehead. and will become very much |
attached - its master II - renowned
for lis courage, and viii ~ ai the head
and hang on ANY dog may be :augaf
- attack msn-"-Has'nsS.oS a:a,.