or Dog, in zoology, a genus of quadrupeds, belonging to the order of ferae. The characters of the dog are these: He has six fore-teeth in the upper jaw, those in the sides being longer than the intermediate ones, which are lobated; in the under jaw there are likewise six fore-teeth, those on the sides being lobated. He has six grinders in the upper, and seven in the lower jaw. The teeth called dog-teeth are four, one on each side, both in the lower and upper jaw; they are sharp-pointed, bent a little inward, and stand at a distance from any of the rest.
There are nine species of this genus, viz. 1. The familiaris, or domestic dog, is distinguished from the other species, by having his tail bent to the left side; which mark is so singular, that perhaps the tail of no other quadruped is bent in this manner. Of this species there are a great number of varieties. Linnaeus enumerates eleven, and Buffon gives figures of no less than twenty-seven, viz., the molosius, or mastiff, which is about the size of a wolf, with the sides of the lips hanging down, and a full robust body. The large Danish dog, differs only from the former in being fuller in the body, and generally of a larger size. The grey-hound is likewise the same with the mastiff; but its make is more slender and delicate. Indeed the difference betwixt these three dogs, although perfectly distinguishable at first sight, is not greater than that betwixt a Dutchman, a Frenchman, and an Italian. The shepherd's dog, the wolf-dog, and what is commonly called the Siberian dog, to which may be joined the Lapland dog, the Canada dog, and, in general, all those which have short ears and a pointed snout, are all one kind, differing only in thickness, the roughness or smoothness of their skin, the length of their legs, and tails. The hound, or beagle, the terrier, the braque, or short-tailed setting-dog, and the spaniel, may be considered as the same kind: they have the same form and the same instincts; and differ only in the length of their legs, and size of their ears, which in each of them are long, soft, and pendulous. The bull-dog, the small Danish dog, the Turkish dog, and the Iceland dog, may likewise be considered as the same kind, all the varieties in their appearance taking their rise merely from climate. For instance, the Turkish dog, which has no hair, is nothing else but the small Danish dog transported to a warm climate, which makes the hair fall off. A dog of any kind loses its hair in very warm climates. But this is not the only change which arises from difference of climate. In some countries, the voice is changed; in others, dogs become altogether silent. In some climates, they lose the faculty of barking, and howl like wolves, or yelp like foxes. Warm climates even change their form and instincts: They turn ill-shaped, and their ears become strait and pointed. It is only in temperate climes that dogs preserve their natural courage, ardour, and sagacity.
In order to give an idea of the different kinds of dogs, in different climates, and of the varieties produced by commixtures, we shall give an explanation of Buffon's genealogical tree, See Plate LXI. fig. 1. This tree is constructed in the form of a geographical chart, in which the situation of the different climates to which the particular cular dogs belong, is observed as accurately as the nature of the thing will admit.
The shepherd's dog is the stump of the tree. This dog, when transported to Lapland, or any very cold climate, assumes an ugly appearance, and its legs become short. But in Britain, Russia, Siberia, &c., where the cold is not so rigorous, and the people are more civilized, he arrives at greater perfection, both in form and sagacity. The same shepherd's dog, when brought up in a country fully civilized, as Britain or France, loses his savage air, his strait ears, his thick long hair, and becomes what is called a bull-dog, a mastiff, a beagle, or hound. These changes, Buffon attributes to the influence of the climate, the manners of the people, &c. The mastiff and the bull-dog have their ears still partly strait, or half-pendent, and resemble in their manners and sanguine disposition the dog from which they derive their origin. The beagle or hound preserves less of the appearance of its origin than the other two; its ears are long and entirely pendent; the softness, the tractability, the timidity of this dog, Buffon considers as so many proofs of its great degeneracy, or rather of that perfection which it acquires by culture, and living among a civilized people.
The hound, the small spotted setting-dog, and the terrier, are all of the same family; for all the three kinds are often produced at the same litter, although the female hound had been covered only by one of these kinds.
When the hound is transported to Spain, or Barbary, where almost every animal has fine, long, downy hair, it is changed into a water hound, or spaniel. And the small and large spaniel, which differ only in the tail, when carried to Britain, are changed from a white to a black colour, and become what is called the large and small shagged dogs.
The mastiff, when carried to the north, is changed into the large Danish dog; and when transported to the south, it becomes a greyhound. The large greyhounds come from the Levant; those of a lesser size come from Italy; and the Italian greyhounds, when brought to Britain, become what the French call levrons, that is, greyhounds of the least size.
The great Danish dog, when carried to Ireland, the Ukraine, Tartary, &c., is changed into the Irish dog, which is the largest of all dogs.
The bull-dog, when carried from Britain to Denmark, becomes the small Danish dog; and this small Danish dog, when transported into a warm climate, loses its hair, and is changed into the Turkish dog.
All these races or families, with their varieties, are produced by the influence of climate, food, and education: The other kinds marked in the tree are not pure or distinct families, but are produced by the commixture of the other families. These mongrel dogs, with the particular parents which produce them, are marked out in the tree by dotted lines. For example,
The greyhound and mastiff produce the mongrel greyhound, which is likewise called the greyhound with wolf's hair. The large Danish dog and the large spaniel produce the Calabrian dog; which is a beautiful dog, with long bushy hair, and of a larger size than the mastiff. The spaniel and the small Danish dog produce the lion-dog, which is a very rare kind. It is needless to give more examples, as they can easily be traced from the dotted lines in the tree.
Having thus traced the varieties of the dog, and the probable sources of these varieties, we shall now give an account of his nature and instincts.
From the structure of the teeth, it might be concluded a priori that the dog is a carnivorous animal. He does not however eat indiscriminately every kind of animal substance. There are some birds, as the colymbus arcticus, which the water-dog will lay hold off with keenness, but will not bring out of the water, because its smell is exceedingly offensive to him. He will not eat the bones of a goose, crow, or hawk; but he devours even the partridge flesh of most other animals. He is possessed of such strong digestive powers, as to draw nourishment from the hardest bones. When flesh cannot be procured, he will eat fish, fruits, succulent herbs, and bread of all kinds. When oppressed with sickness, to which he is very subject, especially in the beginning of summer, in order to procure a puke, he eats the leaves of the quicken grass, the bearded wheat-grass, or the rough cock's-foot-grass, which gives him immediate relief. When he steals a piece of flesh, as conscious of the immorality of the action, he runs off with his tail hanging and bent in betwixt his feet.
His drink is water, which he takes in small quantities at a time, by licking with his tongue. He is in some measure obliged to lick in this manner, otherwise his nose would be immersed in the water.
His excrements are generally hard scybals, which, especially after eating bones, are white, and go by the name of album græcum among physicians. This album græcum was for a long time in great repute as a septic; but it is now entirely disregarded. He does not throw out his excrements promiscuously upon everything that happens to be in the way, but upon stones, trunks of trees, or barren places. This is a wise institution of nature; for the excrements of a dog destroy almost every vegetable or animal substance. They are of such a putrid nature, that if a man's shoe touches them when recently expelled, that particular part will rot in a few days. He observes the same method in making his urine, which he throws out at a side. It is remarkable, that a dog will not pass a stone or a wall against which any other dog has pissed, without following his example, although a hundred should occur in a few minutes, in so much, that it is astonishing how such a quantity can be secreted in so short a time.
The dog is an animal not only of quick motion, but remarkable for travelling very long journeys. He can easily keep up with his master, either on foot or horseback, for a whole day. When fatigued, he does not sweat, but lolls out his tongue. Every kind of dog can swim; but the water-dog excels in that article.
The dog runs round when about to lie down, in order to discover the most proper situation. He lies generally on his breast, with his head turned to one side, and sometimes with his head above his two fore-feet. He sleeps little, and even that does not seem to be very quiet; for he often starts, and seems to hear with more acuteness in sleep than when awake. They have a tremulous motion in sleep, frequently move their legs, and bark, which is an indication of dreaming.
Dogs are possessed of the sensation of smelling in a high degree. They can trace their master by the smell of his feet in a church, or in the streets of a populous city. This sensation is not equally strong in every kind. The hound can trace game, or his master's steps, twenty-four hours afterwards. He barks more furiously the nearer he approaches the fowls, unless he be beat and trained to silence.
With regard to the propagation of dogs; the females admit the males before they are twelve months old. They remain in season ten, twelve, or even fifteen days, during which time they will admit a variety of males. They come in season generally twice in the year, and more frequently in the cold than in the hot months. The male discovers the condition of the female by the smell; but she seldom admits him the first six or seven days. One coitus will make her conceive a great number of young; but, when not restrained, she will admit several dogs every day: she seems to have no choice or predilection, except in favour of large dogs: From this circumstance, it sometimes happens, that a small female, who has admitted a mastiff, perishes in bringing forth her young. During the time of copulation, these animals cannot separate themselves, but remain united so long as the erection subsists. This is owing to the structure of the parts. The dog has not only a bone in his penis, but in the middle of the corpus cavernosum there is a large hollow, which is blown up in the time of erection to a considerable bulk. The female, on the other hand, has a larger clitoris than perhaps any other animal; besides a large firm protuberance rises in the time of copulation, and remains perhaps longer than that of the male, and prevents him from retiring till it subsides: Accordingly after the act of copulation is over, the male turns about in order to rest himself on his legs, and remains in that position till these parts turn flaccid. The female goes with young about nine weeks. They generally bring forth from six to twelve puppies. Those of a small size bring forth five, four, and sometimes but two. They continue to copulate and bring forth during life, which lasts generally about fourteen or fifteen years. The whole are commonly blind, and cannot open their eyes till the tenth or twelfth day. In the fourth month, they lose some of their teeth, which are soon succeeded by others.
The dog has such a strong resemblance to the wolf and the fox, that he is commonly supposed to be the production of one or other of these animals tamed and civilized. Buffon informs us, that he kept a young dog and a young wolf together till they were three years of age, without their discovering the least inclination to copulate. He made the same experiment upon a dog and a fox; but their antipathy was rather increased when the female was in season. From these experiments he concludes, that dogs, wolves, and foxes, are perfectly distinct species of animals.
With regard to the natural disposition of the dog: In a savage state, he is fierce, cruel, and voracious; but, when civilized and accustomed to live with men, he is possessed of every amiable quality. He seems to have no other desire than to please and protect his master. He is gentle, obedient, submissive, and faithful. These dispositions, joined to his almost unbounded sagacity, justly claim the esteem of mankind. Accordingly no animal is so much caressed or respected: He is so docile, and so much formed to please, that he assumes the very air and temper of the family in which he resides.
An animal endowed with such uncommon qualities, must answer many useful purposes. His fidelity and vigilance are daily employed to protect our persons, our flocks, or our goods. The acuteness of his smell gains him employment in hunting; in some parts of Siberia, he is trained to draw carriages from one inn to another; and the negroes eat dogs flesh with great relish.
The dog is liable to many diseases, as the scab, madness, &c., and he seldom wants the taenia or tape-worm in his guts, especially if he drinks dirty water. See Plate LXI. and LXII.
2. The second species of this kind is the lupus or wolf, which is distinguished from the dog by having its tail turned inward. The wolf is larger and fiercer than a dog. His eyes sparkle, and there is a great degree of fury and wilfulness in his looks. He draws up his claws when he walks, to prevent his tread from being heard. His neck is short, but admits of very quick motion to either side. His colour is generally blackish. Like most ferocious animals, he can bear hunger a very long time; but, at last, when the appetite for victuals becomes intolerable, he grows perfectly furious, and will attack men, horses, dogs, and cattle of all kinds; even the graves of the dead are not proof against his rapacity. This circumstance is finely described, in the following lines:
By wintry famine rous'd, Cruel as death, and hungry as the grave! Burning for blood! bony, and ghast, and grim! Assembling wolves in raging troops defend; And, pouring o'er the country, bear along, Keen as the north-wind sweeps the glossy snow. All is their prize. They fallen on the fleed, Pres' him to earth, and pierce his mighty heart. Nor can the bull his awful front defend, Or shake the murthering savages away. Rapacious at the mother's throat they fly, And tear the screaming infant from her breast: The god-like face of Man avails him nought. Even beauty, force divine! at whose bright glance The generous lion stands in soften'd gaze, Here bleeds, a hapless undistinguishing prey. But if, appris'd of the severe attack, The country be shut up, lur'd by the scent, On church-yards drear (inhuman to relate!) The disappointed prowlers fall, and dig The shrouded body from the grave; o'er which, Mix'd with foul shades, and frighted ghosts, they howl.
THOMSON'S WINTER.
The wolf is extremely suspicious, and, unless pressed with hunger, seldom ventures out of the woods. They make a howling noise in the night, and assemble together in troops in order to devour their prey. The wolf is a native of Europe, and frequents the woods of many parts. parts of the continent to this day. This country, a few centuries ago, was much infested with them. So late as the year 1457, there is an act of parliament obliging all the gentlemen and tenants in the different shires of Scotland, to rise, properly armed, four times in the year, in order to destroy the wolves. But they are now so effectually rooted out, that not one of them has been seen wild, even in the highlands, for a century past. See Plate LXII. fig. 5.
3. The hyena, has a strait jointed tail, with the hair of its neck erect, small naked ears, and four toes on each foot. It is about the size of a fox, and its head resembles that of a boar. The hairs on the back are about a span long, erect, and black at the points, and the eyes are near each other. The hyena is a native of India and Africa. He digs holes in the earth like a fox, where he retires from danger. He is very fond of human flesh, which he digs out of church-yards in the night. When irritated, he lays hold of a weapon, or any thing that offends, and keeps it fast in his teeth, which makes him an easy prey to hunters.
4. The vulpes, or fox, has a strait tail, white at the point. His body is yellowish, or rather straw-coloured; his ears are small and erect; his lips are whitish, and his fore-feet are black. From the base of the tail, a strong scent is emitted, which to some people is very fragrant, and to others extremely disagreeable. The fox is a native of almost every quarter of the globe: He digs holes or dens in the earth; and is of such a wild and savage disposition, that it is impossible fully to tame him. He is esteemed to be the most crafty and cunning of all beasts of prey. His craftiness is principally discovered by the schemes he falls upon in order to catch lambs, geese, hens, and all kinds of small birds. When the females are in season, they make a disagreeable yelping noise in the night. He flies when he hears the explosion of a gun, or smells gun-powder. He is exceedingly fond of grapes, and does much mischief in vineyards. Various methods are daily employed to destroy foxes; they are hunted with dogs; iron-traps are often set at their holes; and their holes are sometimes smoked to make them run out, that they may the more readily fall into the snares, or be killed by dogs or fire-arms. But all the arts that have been employed are insufficient for the purpose of rooting him out of any country. They have so many passages in their dens, and often at a great distance, that they often make their escape. When hunted, they never run directly forward, but make a great many doublings and turnings; and when in danger of being taken, they emit such a smell from their posteriors, that the hunters can hardly endure it. See Plate LXII. fig. 4.
5. The alopec, or field-fox, is every way the same with the common fox, except in the point of the tail, which is black.
6. The lagopus, or white fox, with a strait tail, and the apex of different colours. The legs are very hairy. It inhabits the mountains of Lapland and Siberia.
7. The aureus, or jackall, is a native of the East Indies. There is no genuine description of this animal. They assemble in large troops in the night, in several parts of Asia, and make a hideous howling noise. When one calls, he is answered by numbers even at great distances; so that in a short time the whole woods resound with their noise. This noise rouses all the other wild animals, as lions, tygers, &c. who take advantage of the general conflagration, and devour the weaker animals. This circumstance has probably given rise to the notion of the jackall's being the lion's provider. They hide themselves in holes during the day, and go in quest of their prey in the night: They sometimes fall upon children, and devour them when no assistance is near.
8. The Mexicanus, has a smooth crooked tail. The body is ash-coloured, variegated with yellow spots. It is a native of Mexico, and is called the mountain-cat by Seba.
9. The thous, has a smooth, crooked tail. The upper part of his body is grey, and the belly is white. He is about the size of a large cat, and is found at Surinam.
Dog-fish, a name given to several species of Squalus. See Squalus.
Canis major, in astronomy, a constellation of the southern hemisphere.
Canis minor, Caniculus, or Canicula, in astronomy, a constellation of the northern hemisphere.