The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-01-06
DOGS OF AMERICA.
The THEORY OF THEIR PRE-COLUM,
BAN ORIGIN.
Esquimau Dogs Not Much Unlike
Wolves"-In the Shell Heaps of Casco
Bay-Types of the Newfound-
"-s.ongreIs.

prove that tie Esquimau and other
domestic varieties of dogs were domesticated
" the aborigines AMI used by them long
interior to the discovery of the continent by
he Europeans, the varieties in question
originating from the grey wolf or prairie
wolf First as to the Esquimau dog.
From the following extract from Fro
oisher it appears evident that the
zsquimaux had the present breed of do.
nestle dogs long anterior to the year 1877.
Frobishers account of the Esquilnaux them
elves it. so far as we know, the first extant,
md is full and characteristic. After de-
;cribing the natives he gees on to say:
They FRANKIE or keeIe certaine dogs not
much vnlike wolves, which they yoke to-
yither as we do oxen and horses, to sled
,r traile; and 50 carry their necessaries over
he yce and snow from Place to place, as
he captive, whom we haue, made perfect
ignes. And when those dogs are not apt
or the same vse; or when with hunger they
are constrained for lack of other victuals
| hey cate them So that they are as needful
or them in re>pect of their bignesse as our
,Xea are for vs..
Contrmatory OF the theory of the prs-
Columbian origin Of the Indian dog may be
,tei the following extract from Hak,uyes
voyages regarding the dogs seen on Caps
Breton island: "Aere divers OF our
nen went on land upon the very cape,
where, at Their arivali they found the spittes
| If Oke Of the saw ges which had roasted
neate little before. And as they viewed
she countrey they save divers beastes and
soules, as blacke foxes, deere, otterS, great
oues with red legges. pengxyns, and GER
ain others. Thereupon nine or tenne of bis
elbows rsnning right vp over the bushes
| With great agilltIe aui swlftness came to-
wards VS. with white >tauas in their hands
Ike halle pixies, and their dogges of colour
5lacke not so blgge es a grayhounle fol-
owed them at the he ssle; but Wee retired
ynto our boate without any hurt at all re-
,eived'
1t is probably this variety tae bones of
! which have been found by DR. J. Wyman,
n the shell heaps of Casco bay, Me.
"The presence of tho bones Of the dog
night be accounted FOR on the score of itj
being a dome tcated animal, but the fact
hat they vera not only found mingled with
these of the edible kinds. but like them were
oroi en- up, suggests the proba bility Of their
aaving been used as food. We have not
seen it mentioned, however, by any of the
earlier writers, that such was the case along
the coast, though it appears to have been
otherwise with regard to some of the in
5erior tribes, as the Hurons. With them,
game being scarce, vens0n wa' a luxury
found only at feaStS, AMI dog flesh was in
nigh esteem"
1t is possible that the Newfoundland dog
was indigenous on that island, and also an
1ffsh shoot of the grey wolf allied to the Z qui-
nau In their Newfoundland Messrs.
uatton and Harvey say that there are few
ine specimens Of the worl renownad New
-Gunalani dog to be met with now in the
siani from which it derived its name
The origin OF this fine breed is lost in OBJ.
,curity. 1t is doubtful whether the abort
zines Possessed the dog at all. and it Is
highly improbable that the Newfoundland
log is indigenous. Some happy crossing of
% breeds may have produced it here. The ol, /
settlers say that the ancient genuine
breed consisted Of a dog about twenty
,ix inches high, with black tickei
body, grey muzze aui gray or
white stockingei legs, with deer
claws behind" 1T is now generally
admitted that there are two distinct types
!, Of the Newfoundland deg, one considerably
; larger than the other, AMI reckonei as the
true breed; the other being namei the Lab
rador, or st. Johns, or Lesser Nowfound-
land. The latter is chiefly found in Labra,
ior and specimens are also to be met with
= in Newfoundland.
Regarding the dogs OF the Mexican In
, iians, Nadailac says in his Prehistoric
! America" "The European dog, our faith
full companion, also appears to have b,en a
. 1 ala
adequately filed by the coyote, or prairie
wolf, which they kept in captivity and had
succeeded in tanning to a certain extent"
In recent visit TO N.,xico, not only along
the railroads, but in the course of stage
t ride of about so miles through provincial
e Mexico, from Saltlllo to San Miguel, W,
I were struck by the resemblance of the dog!
: to the coyote; there can be little doubt bu
C that they are the descendants of a ract
e which sprang from ths partly tanned coyote
g of the ancient Mexican Indians. At ont
e village, Montezuma, We saw hairless o.
Carib dog as We supposed it to he; similar
dogs are sometimes seen in the Unitet
States.
a Finally, that the domestic dog and grey
o as well as tire prairie wolf, will hybridize
: has been well established. DR.. Coues ha
observed by birds between the coyote an,
3 domestic dog on the Upper Missouri 7
S this We may add our own observations mad
+ at Fort Claggett on the upper Mis-
+ souri,, in june 1877 We then were mucl
struck by the wolf-like appearance of tn
dogs about an eneampment OF Crow Ind
, ans, as we'll as the fort; they were of tn
: size and color OF the coyote. but less hair
and with less bushy tail They wer
much like tho . lately observed in Mexico
and have never seen such dogs elsew where
Their color was whitish tawny, like tha
Of the Esquimau dog
Confrmatory of these observations is tn
following note by J. l. Workman in the re
port of the geological survey Of Indiana 70
1854: During extended travel in wester
y United States my experience has been til
: same as that recorded by Dr. Coues
: is by no mems Uncommon to fin
mongrei dogs among many of tn
f western Indian tribes, notably anon
the Umatilas, Bannocks, Sho hcnes, Araps
hoes Crows and Sioux which to one fami
lar with the color, physiognomy and habit
OF the coyote, have every appearance c
blood relationship, if not, In many cases, thi
animal itseif in state OF semi-iomestice
tion. The free inter breeding OF these an
1 NAL, has been often repeated to ms b
. thoroughly reliable authorities, and who's
opportunities Tor oDserv vatoa were ampls
that feel perfectly willing to accept DI
Coues' statement
To these statements may Ia sdlei that q
Mr.. Milton p. Pierce, publi,bei in Fore:
and Stream, as follow: Hyb brid wolve
have always been very common along ou
western frontiers. ] hays seen several {
: them. sired both by dog. and wolves. an
all I have secn have relemblej wolv'
rather than logs 1t is to be hoped ths
our mammaloglsts may collect and exam
iHe this subject particularly the skulls an
= skins Of numerous specimens both of dog
and we,res. and of tts hybriis betwee