"The period," says Mr. Bell, "at which the domestication of the dog first took place is wholly lost in the mist of antiquity. The earliest mention of it in the Sacred Scriptures occurs during the sojourn of the Israelites in Egypt—' But against Israel shall the cities of the East :—' Neither shrill ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field : ye shall cast it to the dept.' A similar office seems to be repeatedly alluded to in the course of the Jewish Wa tery Him that dieth in the city shall the dogs eat, and him that dieth in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat ; a common curse, as it would appear, as it occurs verbatim on no less than three separate occasions in the First Book of Kings ; and evidently intimates a violent and disgraceful death, without the honour of sepulture. The dog was considered by the Jews as eminently an unclean animal, and was the figure selected for the most contemptuous insults. It is impossible not to be struck with the striking similarity which exists in the feel ings of many oriental nations at the present day, among whom the very phraseology of the Scriptures is, with little modification, applied to a similar purpose." One circumstance should be borne in mind throughout an inquiry into the origin of the Dog. None of the wild dogs, however appa rently living in a state of nature, have ever been found to return to the true form of Welt not a clog move his tongue.' It is again mentioned in the Mosaic law in a manner which would seem to show that they were the com mon scavengers of the Israelitish camp, as they are still in many of The Shepherd's Dog, a variety which was moat probably one of the first that civilised and settled man called in aid to preserve his flocks from beasts and birds of prey and the depredations of roving Human tribes, is remarkable for the capacity of its cranium and its great sagacity.
It is indeed distinguished by this cranial development even above the Spaniels and their varieties, and the Hounds, which comprise the most useful and intelligent dogs. In the Bull-Dogs and Mastiffs, Dogues de Forte Race of the French, though the head is one-third larger than those of the Shepherd's Dog and of the Spaniels, `Barbets,' the cranial capacity is not by any means so great.
the Blood-Hound, the Spanish Pointer, the English Setter, the New foundland Dog, the Rough Water-Dog, the Large Water-Spaniel, the Small Water-Spaniel, the Springer or Cocker, King Charles's Dog, the Pyrame Dog, the Shock-Dog, the Lion-Dog (a small and rare variety), the Comforter (a small Spaniel), the Turnspit, and the Pug. We could add many more to this list, which is long enough. The French divide the dogs into three groups, namely, the Matins, the Spaniels (including the Hounds and Pointer), and the Dogues (the last con taining the Mastiff, Bull-Dog, &c.).
We give the gigantic Tibet Dog as a fine example of the Mastiffs. Dr. Wallich gave to Mr. Broderip the data which enabled the latter Dr. Caine, the physician of queen Elizabeth's time, wrote several
papers on natural history for the use of Gesner, his correspondent and friend. In one of these treatises he divides the British dogs into —1st, The most generous kinds, which he subdivides into the Dogs of Chace, including the Hounds, namely, the Terrier, Harrier, and Bloodhound ; and the Gazehound, Greyhound, Leviner or Lyemmer, and Tumbler : the Fowlers, namely, the Spaniel, Setter, Water Spaniel, or Finder : and the Lap-Dogs, namely, the Spaniel-Gentle, or Comforter. 2nd, The Farm-Dogs, namely, the Shepherd's Dog and the Mastiff, or Ban-Dog. 3rd, Mongrels, namely, Wappe, Turnspit, and Dancer.
Bewiek enumeratea the following :—The Shepherd's Dog, the Cur Dog, the Greenland-Dog, the Bull-Dog, the Mastiff, the Ban-Dog, the Dalmatian or Coach-Dog, the Irish Greyhound, the Highland Grey hound, the Gazehound, the Greyhound, the Italian Greyhound, the Lyemmer, the Lurcher, the Tumbler, the Terrier, the Beagle, the Harrier, the Fox-Hound, the Old English Hound, the Kibblo Hound, to write the following account :—" These hoble animals are the watch dogs of the table-land of the Himalaya Mountains, about Tibet. Their masters, the Bhoteas, to whom they are most strongly attached, are a singular race, of a ruddy copper-colour, indicating the bracing air which they breathe, rather short, but of an excellent dispostion. Their clothing is adapted to the cold climate they inhabit, and consists of fur and woollen cloth. The men till the ground and keep sheep, and at certain seasons come down to trade, bringing borax, tincal, and musk, for sale. They sometimes penetrate as far as Calcutta. On these occasions tho women remain at home with the dogs, and the encampment is watched by the latter, which have an almost irreconcileable aversion to Europeans, and in general fly fero ciously at a white face. A warmer climate relaxes all their energies, and they dwindle even in the valley of Nepaul." Some specimens were brought to this country by Dr. Wallich ; they were placed in the Zoological Society's Garden in the Regent's Park, but died soon after their arrival. The Hon. Edward Gardner, British resident at the court of the .Raja of Nepaul, never heard of any other instance of this variety being domesticated by Europeans.
In all the varieties the. period of gestation is 63 days. The litter is generally numerous, often as many as eight or nine. The whelps are born blind, and do not see till nine days are fully expired : they sometimes see on the tenth, and sometimes not till the twelfth day. At the fourth month the teeth begin to change, and at two years the growth of the animal is considered complete. A dog is considered old at the expiration of five years, and the limits of his existence rarely exceed 20 years. It is confidently stated that in all the varie ties, if a Dog has any white on any part of his tail, that colour will invariably be fouud at the tip.