mentioned of the strong attachment felt by
wolves to those who have treated them kindly, but I will now introduce
some remarks on the anatomical affinities between the dog, the fox,
and the wolf, which serve to prove that the dog is of a breed distinct
from either of the last-mentioned animals.

It must, in fact, be always an interesting matter of inquiry
respecting the descent of an animal so faithful to man, and so
exclusively his associate and his friend, as the dog. Accordingly,
this question has been entertained ever since Natural History took the
rank of a science. But the origin of the dog is lost in antiquity. We
find him occupying a place in the earliest pagan worship; his name has
been given to one of the first-mentioned stars of the heavens, and his
effigy may be seen in some of the most ancient works of art. Pliny was
of opinion that there was no domestic animal without its unsubdued
counterpart, and dogs are known to exist absolutely wild in various
parts of the old and new world. The Dingo of New Holland, a
magnificent animal of this kind, has been shown to be susceptible of
mutual attachment in a singular degree, though none of the experiments
yet made have proved that he is capable, like the domestic dog, of a
similar attachment to man. The parentage of the wild dogs has been
assigned to the tame species, strayed from the dominion of their
masters. This, however, still remains a question, and there is reason
to believe that the wild dog is just as much a native of the
wilderness as the lion or tiger. If there be these doubts about an
animal left for centuries in a state of nature, how can we expect to
unravel the difficulties accumulated by ages of domestication? Who
knows for a certainty the true prototype of the goat, the sheep, or
the ox? To the unscientific reader such questions might appear idle,
as having been settled from time immemorial; yet they have never been
finally disposed of. The difficulty, as with the dog, may be connected
with modifications of form and colour, resulting from the
long-continued interference of man with the breed and habits of
animals subjected to his sway.

Buffon was very eloquent in behalf of the claim of the sheep-dog to be
considered as the true ancestor of all the other varieties. Mr. Hunter
would award this distinction to the wolf; supposing also that the
jackal is the same animal a step further advanced towards
civilization, or perhaps the dog returned to its wi