The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-02-07
THE NAMING OF DOGS.
Oddities in tho Nomenclature of
Various Breeds.
AN Interesting Chapter on the pcculiari-
Ties "3d Origin Of Camiacs or
Marked Character

log nomenclature isGuitc an interest
Ing SUpjcct. says u writer i'll the Detroit
Free Press. Take. for instance, that
favoritc canine known us the terrier. u
name given the breed from his habit Of
following game into burrows in the
earth, which latter in Latin is termed
terra. BY way of quick gradations the
word WAS mctamorphoscd into terrier.
skye terrier is SO called because the
breed was once chiefly raised on the
island OF Skye. one of the lIebridcs.
The celebrated Dandy Dinmont terrier
obtained its distinctive title from the
fact of its being depicted ms the favoritc
of character bearing that name in
Sir Walter SCOTS Guy Manncrinr.n
The fox terrier was SO NAMED because IT,
was originally kept rs an addition to
every pack Of foxhounds. Bloo,lhounds
derive their name from the possession
OF peculiar power of scouting the
blood OF a wounded animal In oldcn
times stag hunting was IL favoritc
amusement OF the nobility, and the
dogs used i'll such sport-part grey
hounds and part bloodhounds were
given the name of staghounds. Fox
hounds, in like manner, were trained To
nations have been given of the origin
of the term greyhound, some authori-
tics claiming that the prefix grey is
taken from Fratus, meaning Greek;
others that it signifies great, while still
others say that it has reference to the
color of tho animal. In no other breed
of hounds is the blue or grey color so
prevalent. and consequently the last
n)pntinnp1 In -,
Harricrs are chiefly used in hunting
harcs in England, while the title bc;.-
gle, applied to Il breed which is an in
vetcratc enemy of rabbits, is probably
derived from the Celtic bcag or bite, or
the Welsh back, signifying little, they
being in reality Il small species of hound.
a pointer is SO called because of its
habit of stopping and pointing at game
with its nose, while the setter gets lis
name from Il like habit, excepting that
it crouchcs instead of standing when
pointing under similar circumstances.
Newfoundland dogs were originally ma
tivcs of that country and Labrador,
from which circumstance they receive
their title. In the same manner the
noble st. Demands are SO called from
the famous monastery Of that name in
the Alps. That rather dangerous breed
called Spitz or Pomcranian dogs. Il va
ricty of the Esquimau, were first bred
Tin lomcrania, Russia, but the popular
name of Spitz was probably derived
! from the erroneous notion that they
4 Originated in Spitzcnbcrgcn. Spanicls,
3of which there are many breeds, arc
I supposed to have first come from Spain.
from which circumstance is derived
3their distinctive names. Charles l. was
4 an ardent admircr of a small variety of
Sthis animal, and from that arose the
designation of his pets known the world
over as the King Charles.
4 Mastiff is the term applied to n very
8largc and powerful species of the canine
4 family, and there is considerable con
Aflct of opinion regarding the origin of
4 the word. Some claim that it is de-
arivcd from the Italian mastino. or the
aErcnch mastin, both of which signify
Alargc lmbcd. Others, again. say it's
atruc origin is the old German mastcn,
Ito fatten, because the mastff is Il large
.tlog and SO seems better fed than any
S5Dthcr. Poodle is derived from the Ger
#nan pudcl, Il puddle or pool. They are
!fTithout doubt the most intelligent of
5hll CANNES. The shepherd dog-callcd
4 he collie in Scotland, from the Gaelic
EE9uilean, or puppy-gains its title from
shhc fact of its being used to watch
8hecp and protect them from maraud-
PRS of every description. AS to the
derivation of the word bulldog it Is,
Hnly necessary to state that at one time
ibis species was exclusively used in bull
&a@ing, and from that circumstance
prose the name by which it is univcr-
l8ally known. cross between this and
ssShc terrier is appropriately termed the
abull terrier
HINGS PREEERPCD TOuyEntr TIL