he poet and formed the subject of many
notable books, while in Daniel's _Rural Sports_ is related a story of a
dog dying in the fulness of joy caused by the return of his master after
a two years' absence from home.

It is not improbable that all dogs sprang from one common source, but
climate, food and cross-breeding caused variations of form which
suggested particular uses, and these being either designedly or
accidentally perpetuated, the various breeds of dogs arose, and became
numerous in proportion to the progress of civilization. Among the ruder
or savage tribes they possess but one form; but the ingenuity of man has
devised many inventions to increase his comforts; he has varied and
multiplied the characters and kinds of domestic animals for the same
purpose, and hence the various breeds of horses, cattle and dogs. The
parent stock it is now impossible to trace; but the wild dog, wherever
found on the continent of Asia, or northern Europe, has nearly the same
character, and bears no inconsiderable resemblance to the British dog of
the ordinary type; while many of those from the southern hemisphere can
scarcely be distinguished from the cross-bred poaching dog, the lurcher.

Dogs were first classified into three groups:--(1) Those having the head
more or less elongated, and the parietal bones of the skull widest at
the base and gradually approaching towards each other as they ascend,
the condyles of the lower jaw being on the same line with the upper
molar teeth. The greyhound and all its varieties belong to this class.
(2) The head moderately elongated and the parietals diverging from each
other for a certain space as they rise upon the side of the head,
enlarging the cerebral cavity and the frontal sinus. To this class
belong most of the useful dogs, such as the spaniel, the setter, the
pointer and the sheepdog. (3) The muzzle more or less shortened, the
frontal sinus enlarged, and the cranium elevated and diminished in
capacity. To this class belong some of the terriers and most of the toy
dogs.

Later, however, "Stonehenge" (J.H. Walsh), in _British Rural Sports_,
classified dogs as follows:--(a) Dogs that find game for man, leaving
him to kill it himself--the pointer, setters, spaniels and water
spaniels. (b) Dogs which kill game when found for them--the English
greyhound. (c) Dogs which find and also kill their game--the bloodhound,
the foxhound, the harrier, the beagle, the otterhound, the fox terrier
a