Wolves of the Pyrenees and the Missouri.

37

manners, it showed little aptitude in learning any of the arts which the Newfoundland dogs so speedily acquire, of fetching and carrying when ordered. This dog was killed and eaten by an Indian on the Sack'atchewan, who pretended that he mistook it for a fox."*

The still more important fact (as bearing on at least one branch of the genealogy of the canine race) mentioned by Captain Back, may be kept in mind, that the offspring of the wolf and dog are themselves prolific, and " are prized by the voyagers as beasts of draught, being stronger than the ordinary dogs.” “I have seen," says Pallas, "at Moscow, about twenty spurious animals from dogs and black wolves. They are for the most part like wolves, except that some carry their tails higher, and have a kind of coarse barking. They multiply among themselves, and some of the whelps are grayish rusty, or even of the whitish hue of the arctic wolves." The variation of colour of the wolf in the wild state, is worthy of remark. The most frequent among the Pyrenees is entirely black. It is called lobo in Spain, and is so like a huge ferocious dog, that many regard it as a hybrid or mixed breed. Lewis and Clark inform us that the wolves of the Missouri are of every shade, from a gray or blackish brown to a cream-coloured white. In Canada, and further north, they are often seen entirely white. In the fur countries, they are sometimes noticed with black patches, that is, pied, but associated with those of the ordinary gray colour; and Sir John Richardson, on one occasion, observed five young wolves, apparently belonging to the same litter (they were leaping and tumbling over each other as if in play), of which one was pied, another entirely black,-the rest gray. Now, this natural range of colour is a circumstance of considerable importance in respect to our present inquiry, in as far as the tendency to become white at one extremity of the series, and black at the other, combined with the central or representative hue, which is brown, may be said to supply the three great elementary colours of all the races of domestic dogs. We have not the slightest doubt that the wolf is the progenitor of many of our northern kinds.

I

But in regard to many of the southern sorts, the case is different. We believe it to be the opinion of the best instructed naturalists, that the wolf (Canis lupus) does not occur at all to the south of the equator. There are wild dogs of a wolfish character in India, beyond the Crishma, and there are corresponding or representative kinds in South America, and even in New

Loc. cit. p. 80.
+ Back's Narrative, Appendix, p. 42.
Letter to Pennant, in Arctic Zool‹ gy, vol. i,, p. 42,

Holland, but the wolf itself is wanting beyond the Line, and, in truth, is not required.

It is well known that both wild and tame dogs are indigenous to South America, although wolves, properly so called, do not occur there. The native languages designate the former kinds by names which are not found in European tongues. To this day the word auri, mentioned by Herera more than 300 years ago, occurs in the Maypure language.

The largest wild animal of the canine race in South America, is the maned Aguara-Canis jubatus. It is not found to the north of the Equator, but occurs chiefly in the swampy and more open regions of Paraguay, and the bushy plains of Campos Geraes. Its habits are solitary. It swims with great facility, and hunts by scent, feeding on small game, aquatic animals, &c.

แ "The Aguara guazu," for such is its native name, "is not a dangerous animal, being much less daring than the wolves of the north; it is harmless to cattle, and the opinion commonly held in Paraguay, that beef cannot be digested by its stomach, was in some measure verified by Dr. Parlet, who found by experiments made upon a captive animal, that it rejected the raw flesh after deglutition, and only retained it when boiled. Kind treatment to this individual did not produce confidence or familiarity even with dogs. Its sight was not strong in the glare of day; it retired to rest at ten in the morning, and again about midnight. In the dark the eyes sometimes shone like those of a true wolf. When let loose the animal refused to acknowledge command, and would avoid being taken till driven into a corner, where it lay couched until grasped by the hand, without offering further resistance. The Aguara guazu, though not hunted, is exceedingly distrustful, and having an excellent scent and acute hearing, is always enabled to keep at a distance from man; and though often seen, is but seldom within reach of the gun. The female litters in the month of August, having three or four whelps. Its voice consists in a loud and repeated drawling ery, sounding like a-gou-ā-ā-a, which is heard to a considerable distance."

"'*

We may here state the well-established fact, that canine animals do not bark at all in the natural state. They only howl. Barking is a habit, we shall not say whether good or bad-it probably has both advantages and drawbacks-acquired under artificial circumstances, and by no means natural. Even domestic dogs run wild, speedily cease to bark, and take rather to a sharp prolonged howling, while, vice versa, the silent species of barbarous or semi-civilized nations, ere long acquire the bark of our domesticated kinds, and like many other creatures of a higher

* Colonel Hamilton Smith in Naturalist's Library, Mammalia, vol. ix., p. 243.

The Aguara of South America.

39

class, become so conceited of their new attainment, as not seldom to give tongue most vociferously when they ought to hold their

peace.

The unreclaimed animal above referred to, has been called the Aguara wolf, although its head is somewhat smaller than the head of that animal, and its legs are proportionally longer. It is nearly four feet and a half in length, and stands about twentysix inches high. But there are other wild species in South America, called Aguara dogs, from their still greater resemblance to the old domesticated kinds of that continent. The latter were no doubt originally derived from the former, although for a long period the native Indians have encouraged the increase of the European breed, which they name perro from the Spanish term. These nations universally admit the descent of their own breed from the wild species of the woods. But within the last thirty or forty years, the indigenous domestic dogs have been almost entirely superseded by the European kinds, which, as hunting dogs, are capable of enduring much more fatigue.

It would appear that in the southern parts of South America, there are not now any dogs in a truly wild state, and that such as live with the natives are rather scarce than numerous. Captain Fitzroy describes the dog of Patagonia as being equal in size to a large fox-hound, and bearing a general resemblance to the lurcher and shepherd's dog, but with an unprepossessing and very wolfish aspect. They hunt by sight, do not give tongue, but growl and bark when in the act of attacking or being attacked. Those of Terra del Fuego are much smaller, resembling terriers, or a mixture of the fox, shepherd's dog, and terrier. They guard the dwellings of the natives, and bark furiously on the approach of strangers. They are also employed in hunting otters, and in catching wounded or sleeping birds. As they are scarcely ever fed, they supply themselves at low water by dexterously detaching limpets from the rocks, or crunching mussels. During periods of famine, so valuable are dogs in some of the far parts of South America, that, according to Captain Fitzroy, "it is well ascertained that the oldest women of the tribe are sacrificed to the cannibal appetites of their countrymen, rather than destroy a single dog. Dogs,' say they, 'catch otters; old women are good for nothing."" We have known many excellent, and by no means useless, old women.

The absence of wild dogs from the most southern countries of South America, is rendered more remarkable by the well-known fact, that a truly wild species, nearly allied to the Aguara dog, though distinct from it, occurs in the Falkland Islands. It is the only native quadruped of that group* (if we except possibly

* The horses, horned cattle, hogs, and rabbits, though now numerous, have all been originally imported from other countries.

a field mouse), and is known to naturalists under the name of Canis Antarcticus. Mr. Darwin believes it to be quite peculiar to that archipelago, although not confined to the western island, as some have supposed. All the seal-hunters, Guachos, and Indians, who have visited these islands, maintain that no such creature is found in any part of South America. Molina, indeed, supposed that it was identical with the culpeu of the mainland but that is assuredly a different species, the Canis Magellani cus, brought to this country some years ago by Captain King, from the straits from whence it takes its name, and common in Chili. These Falkland wolves, or wild dogs, were described by Commodore Byron, who noted their tameness and prying dispo sition-attributes which the sailors mistaking for fierceness, avoided by taking sudden refuge in the water. To this day their manners remain the same.

"They have been observed," says Mr. Darwin, "to enter a tent, and actually pull some meat from beneath the head of a sleeping sea-i man. The Guachos, also, have frequently in the evening killed them, by holding out a piece of meat in one hand, and in the other a knife ready to stick them. As far as I am aware, there is no other instance in any part of the world, of so small a mass of broken land, distant from a continent, possessing so large an aboriginal quadruped peculiar to itself. Their numbers have rapidly decreased; they are already banished from that half of the island which lies to the eastward of the neck of land between St. Salvador Bay and Berkley Sound. Within a very few years after these islands shall have become regularly settled, in all probability this creature will be classed with the Dodo, as1 an animal which has perished from the face of the earth.”*

on a

Of the eastern or southern dogs of the Old World, several varieties are assuredly derived from jackals, or from certain animals commonly classed with these, such as thfrom certain anithe Thoan group, which includes the Deeb, or wild dog of Egypt (Canis Anthus), the Thous of Nabia, the Zenlee of the Hottentots, the Tulk of the Persians, and the great jackal, or wild dog of Natolia Thous acmon. All these more or less resemble wolves small scale, being intermediate in size between them and the true jackals. They do not burrow like the latter, are not gregarious, consequently do not howl in concert as the jackals do, and have little or no offensive odour., Many eastern domesticated dogs bear a close resemblance to one or other of these species. Professor Kretschmer is of opinion that the Egyptians obtained their domestic breed from the Deeb; and Colonel Hamilton Smith" suspects that the greyhound of the desert was originally derived

3

t

Journal of Researches, &c., p. 19401 nu i shod used pas vid

from a species very nearly allied, if not actually belonging, to the same section.

"If," says the last named author, "domestic dogs were merely wolves modified by the influence of man's wants, surely the curs of Mohammedan states, refused domestic care, left to roam after their own free will, and only tolerated in Asiatic cities in the capacity of scavengers, would long since have resumed some of the characters of the wolf; there has unquestionably been sufficient time for that purpose, since we find allusion made to these animals in the laws of Moses; they were then already considered unclean, for all cattle worried, injured, or not killed as the law prescribed, were ordered to be flung to them."*

It is well known that the streets and suburbs of eastern towns are still greatly infested by these animals, to which reference was no doubt made by King David, when he prays to be delivered from his enemies. "They return at evening; they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city." Ps. liv. 6. Their savage nature is further illustrated by the fate of Jezebel; and a race of wild dogs is reported to have particularly infested the banks of the Kishon, and the district of Jezreel.†

Even in recent times, a very dangerous canine animal is said to follow the caravans from Bassora to Aleppo. It is called Sheeb by the Arabs, and all who are bitten by it are believed to die of the wound. Dr. Russel endeavours to explain this fatal result by supposing the creature to be in a state of madness, that is, labouring under hydrophobia; but he forgets that these wild animals are gregarious, several travelling together, which mad dogs never do. It has indeed been questioned whether hydrophobia exists at all in Western Asia. Colonel Hamilton Smith states it to be unknown there among the cur dogs of the cities.

It is, however, by no means unlikely that the larger, fiercer, and more powerful dogs of the East may have had some cross of the true wolf, because, although the latter animal is not now found in Judea, it is well known in Asia Minor, and the gorges of Cilicia. The Syrian wolf, at least of modern times, is a

Naturalist's Library, Mammalia, vol. ix., p. 97.

+ Encye. of Biblical Literature, I., 570.

‡ Naturalist's Library, Mammalia, vol. ix., p. 175. Although other species, when bitten, may be infected by this rabies, it seems to originate solely in animals of the dog kind, or those nearly allied. In India, hyenas, wolves, jackals, and foxes are subject to it, as well as domesticated dogs. When it attacks wild animals, it seems to deprive them of all fear of man. The European wolf, in a state of madness, instead of avoiding rather seeks out the human race as his victims ; and in France even foxes, under that strange and mysterious influence, have run into and been killed in the midst of crowds assembled in a market-place.