| Wild Dog of Nepâl
Mr. Hodgson favoured the Zoological Society with an account of The Wild
Dog of Nepâl, the búánsú, and, finding it more or less prevailing through the
whole of Northern India, and even southward of the coast of Coromandel,
he thought that he had discovered the primitive race of the dog. This is
a point that can never be decided.
"These dogs hunt their prey by night,
as well as by day, in packs of from six to ten individuals, maintaining
the chase more by the scent than by the eye, and generally succeeding by
dint of strength and perseverance. While hunting, they bark like the
hound, yet the bark is peculiar, and equally unlike that of the
cultivated breeds of dogs, and the cries of the jackal and the fox."
Bishop Heber gives the following account of them.
"They are larger and
stronger than a fox, which in the circumstances of form and fur they
much resemble. They hunt, however, in packs, give tongue like dogs, and
possess an exquisite scent. They make of course tremendous havoc among
the game in these hills; but that mischief they are said amply to repay
by destroying wild beasts, and even tigers." (Heber's Narrative,
p. 500)
Wild dogs are susceptible of certain social combinations. In Egypt,
Constantinople, and throughout the whole of the East, there are in every
village troops of wandering dogs who belong to no particular person.
Each troop has its own quarter of the place; and if any wander into a
quarter which does not belong to him, its inhabitants unite together and
chase him out. At the Cape of Good Hope there are many dogs
half-starved. On going from home the natives induce two or more of these
animals to accompany them, warn them of the approach of any ferocious
animal, and if any of the jackals approach the walls during the night,
they utter the most piercing cries, and at this signal every dog sallies
out, and, uniting together, put the jackals to speedy flight. (Histoire du Chien, par Elzear Blaze, p. 54.)
The wild Nepâl dogs caught when at an adult age make no approach towards
domestification; but a young one, which Mr. Hodgson obtained when it was not
more than a month old, became sensible to caresses, and manifested as much
intelligence as any sporting dog of the same age. (Proceedings of the Zoological Society,
Part I. 833)
Captain T. Williamson gives an interesting account of the ferocious
character of some of these wild dogs.
"They have considerable
resemblance to the jackal in form. They are remarkably savage, and
frequently will approach none but their doonahs or keepers, not
allowing their own masters to come near them. Some of them are very
fleet; but they are not to be depended upon in coursing; for they are
apt suddenly to give up the chase when it is a severe one, and, indeed,
they will too often prefer a sheep or a goat to a hare. In hog-hunting
they are more valuable. It seems to suit their temper, and they appear
to enjoy the snapping and the snarling, incident to that species of
sports."
He says that many persons affect to treat the idea of degeneration in
quadrupeds with ridicule; but all who have been any
considerable time resident in India must be satisfied that dogs of
European breed become, after every successive generation, more and more
similar to the pariah, or indigenous dog of that country. The hounds are
the most rapid in their decline, and, except in the form of their ears,
they are very much like many of the village curs. Greyhounds and
pointers
also rapidly decline, although with occasional exceptions.
Spaniels and
terriers deteriorate less, and spaniels of eight or nine generations, and
without a cross from Europe, are not only as good as, but far more
beautiful than, their ancestors. The climate is too severe for
mastiffs,
and they do not possess sufficient stamina; but, crossed by the East
Indian greyhound, they are invaluable in hunting the hog. (Williamson's Oriental Field Sports)
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