History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

Canis. MAMMALIA. FERA. 11defence, runs before him on the road, but will return or watch when a strangerpasses, and looks back for instruction where two ways meet ; guards propertycommitted to his charge ; assists the sportsman ; brings objects in hismouth ; fawns when begging; hangs down his tail when afraid ;hates beggars,barks at strangers licks wounds, and bites the stone thrown at him.The ;dog runs sidewise, hardly sweats when warm, lolls out his tongue, andruns into water ; turns round several times before lying down ; frequentlydreams ; is easily awakened. Eats carrion and farinaceous vegetables, drinksby lapping, dungs upon stones, urines sidewise, lifting his hind leg, and frequently,when he meets strange smells atdogsthe anus of another ; ; is quarrelsome,and eats greedily. The female, when in season, admits all comers,snarls at them, and they remain inseparable for a time ; gestation sixty-threedays. Young from four to ten in number, blind for the first ten days, andbegin to change their teeth at the fourth month.Externally, the dog is infested with fleas and ticks, and internally by thetape-worn. Eats grass to make him vomit, and to clear his intestines. Fondof rubbing against putrid substances. Subject to hydrophobia, which is believedby many since the days of Pliny, to be prevented by ivorming, a practicewhich renders the individual incapable of biting. The worm (extractedby this " process) is a tendinous fasciculus of fibres running lengthwise underthe tongue, as far as its apex, and lying rather loose in a kind of membranoussheath, without being connected, like a true tendon, to any of the neighbouringmuscles ;" Blum. Comp. Anat. p. 32G.The varieties of the dog which occur in the United Kingdom are numerous,and several of these have been long celebrated for their excellence byAppian, Grotius, Claudian, and others. The following synoptical view, containsthe names and characters of the principal races.1. Motions regulated by the Sight.a. Pastoralis. Shepherd's Dog, Colly.— or Ears half pricked ; tail bushy,recurved ; fur black, long, soft, and loose—Docile and sagacious ; the usefulcompanion of the shepherd, and still to be found unmixed in many of thesheep districts of Scotland.b. Amphibius. Newfoundland Dog—Ears pendent ; lips loose ; fur long,dense, and waved ; docile and sagacious; swims and dives well ; not unliketiie preceding, but larger, and water.— fonder of the Originally from Newfoundland,where it is used for the draught.c. Zetlandicus.—Ears pointed, pricked ; muzzle sharp ; fur long, brown ;bark shrill and indistinct This is the common dog or hund in the .Zetland*Isles, and approaches in character to the Greenland dog.The preceding races are less mixed than any of the others, and probablymake the nearest approach to the primitive stock.d. Villaticus. Cur.—Ears half-pricked ; fur short and smooth ; tail notbushy, and often very short ;stronger than the shepherd's dog ; and chieflyused in driving cattle.e. Taurinus. Bull-Dog—Ears half-pricked ; head round ; snout short ;under jaw projecting ; stature low and muscular ; courageous, and obstinatelyretains its hold. Seldom kept but by the idle and profligate for the purposeof fighting.f. Mastivus. Mastiff.— Ears pendant ; lips large and loose ; stature large,stout ; aspect sullen. A trusty guard, very vigilant and bold. The RomanEmperors held the British dogs of this kind in high estimation for combats inthe amphitheatre, and, according to Strabo, they were trained by the Gaulsfor battle.