The first variety is the Terrarius or Terrier, which takes its name from its fubterraneous employ; being a small kind of hound, used to force the fox, or other beafts of prey, out of their holes; and (in former times) rabbets out of their burrows into nets. The Leverarius, or Harrier, is a species well known at prefent; it derives its name from its ufe, that of hunting the hare; but under this head may be placed the foxhound, which is only a stronger and fleeter variety, applied to a different chase. The Sanguinarius, or Bloodhound, or the Sleuthounde of the Scots, was a dog of great ule, and in high efteem with our anceftors: its employ was to recover any game that had efcaped wounded from the hunter; or been killed and ftole out of the foreft It was remarkable for the acutenefs of its smell, tracing the loft beaft by the blood it had fpilt; from whence the name is derived: This fpecies could, with the utmost certainty, difcover the thief by following his footsteps, let the diftance of his flight be ever fo great; and through the most secret and thickeft coverts: nor would Blood-hound. Gaze-hound Grey-hound Leviner, or Lyemmer Spaniel Setter Water-spaniel, or finder. Spaniel gentle, or comforter. Shepherd's dog Wappe it ceafe its purfuit, till it had taken the felon. They were likewise used by Wallace and Bruce during the civil wars. The poetical hiftorians of the two heroes frequently relate very curious paffages on this subject; of the fervice thefe dogs were of to their thofe of the enemy. The bloodhound was mafters, and the escapes they had from in great request on the confines of England and Scotland; where the borderers were continually preying on the herds and flocks of their neighbours. The true bloodhound ed, of a ftern countenance, of a deep tanwas large, ftrong, mufcular, broad breast. colour, and generally marked with a black fpot above each eye. The next divifion of this species of dogs, comprehends those that hunt by the eye; and whofe fuccefs depends either upon the quickness of their fight, their swiftness, or their fubtilty. firft: it chafed indifferently the fox, hare, The Agafæus, or Gazehound, was the or buck. It would felect from the herd the fatteft and faireft deer; purfue it by the eye; and if loft for a time, recover it again by its fingular distinguishing facul ty; ty; and fhould the beaft rejoin the herd, this dog would fix unerringly on the fame. This fpecies is now loft, or at least unknown to us. It must be obferved that the Agafæus of Dr. Caius, is a very different fpecies from the Agaffeus of Oppian, for which it might be mistaken from the fimilitude of names: this he describes as a small kind of dog, peculiar to Great-Britain; and then goes on with these words; Γυρὸν, ἀσαρκότατον, λασιότριχον, ἔμμασι νωθές. Curvum, macilentum, hifpidum, oculis pigrum. what he adds afterwards, ftill marks the difference more strongly ; Γίνεσι δ' αὖτε μάλιςα πανέξοκος εσίν ἀγασσεὺς. Naribus autem longè præftantiffimus eft agaffeus. From Oppian's whole defcription, it is plain he meant our Beagle. The next kind is the Leporarius, or Gre-hound. Dr. Caius informs us, that it takes its name quod præcipui gradus fit inter canes, the first in rank among dogs: that it was formerly esteemed fo, appears from the foreft laws of king Canute; who enacted, that no one under the degree of a gentleman fhould prefume to keep a gre-hound; and ftill more ftrongly from an old Welth faying; Wrth ei Walch, ei Farch, a'i Filgt, yr adwaenir Bonheddig: which fignifies, that you may know a gentleman by his hawk, his horse, and his grehound. Froiffart relates a fact not much to the credit of the fidelity of this species: when that unhappy prince, Richard the Second, was taken in Flint caftle, his favourite gre-hound immediately deferted him, and fawned on his rival Bolingbroke; as if he understood and forefaw the misfortunes of the former. The variety called the Highland grehound, and now become very scarce, is of a very great fize, ftrong, deep-chested, and covered with long and rough hair. This kind was much efteemed in former days, and used in great numbers by the powerful chieftains in their magnificent hunting matches. It had as fagacious noftrils as the Blood-hound, and was as fierce. This feems to be the kind Boethius ftyles genus venaticum cum celerrimum tum audaciffimum: nec modo in feras, fed in hoftes etiam latronefque; præfertim fi dominum ductoremve injuriam affici cernat aut in eos concitetur. The third fpecies is the Levinarius or Lorarius; the Leviner or Lyemmer: the first name is derived from the lightness of the kind, the other from the old word Lyemme, a thong; this fpecies being used to be led in a thong, and flipped at the game. Our author fays, that this dog was a kind that hunted both by fcent and fight; and in the form of its body obferved a medium between the hound and the grehound. This probably is the kind now known to us by the name of the Irish gre-hound, a dog now extremely scarce in that kingdom, the late king of Poland having procured from them as many as poffible. I have seen two or three in the whole ifland: they were of the kind called by M. de Buffon Le grand Danois, and probably imported there by the Danes, who long poffeffed that kingdom. Their use feems originally to have been for the chafe of wolves, with which Ireland fwarmed till the latter end of the last century. As foon as those animals were extirpated, the numbers of the dogs decreased; for from that period they were kept only for state. The Vertagus, or Tumbler, is a fourth fpecies; which took its prey by mere fubtilty, depending neither on the fagacity of its nofe, nor its swiftnefs: if it came into a warren, it neither barked, nor ran on the rabbets; but by a feeming neglect of them, or attention to fomething elfe, deceived the object till it got within reach, so as to take it by a fudden fpring. This dog was lefs than the hound; more fcraggy, and had prickt-up ears; and by Dr. Caius's defcription feems to answer to the modern lurcher. The third divifion of the more generous dogs, comprehends thofe which were used in fowling; firft the Hifpaniolus, or spaniel: from the name it may be supposed that we were indebted to Spain for this breed: there were two varieties of this kind, the first used in hawking, to spring the game, which are the fame with our starters. The other variety was used only for the net, and was called Index, or the fetter; a kind well known at present. This kingdom has long been remarkable for producing dogs of this fort, particular care having been taken to preferve the breed in the utmoft purity. They are still diftinguished by the name of English spaniels; so that notwithstanding the derivation of the name, it is probable they are natives of GreatBritain. We may ftrengthen our fufpicion by faying that the first who broke a dog to to the net was an English nobleman of a moft diftinguished character, the great Robert Dudley, duke of Northumberland. The Pointer, which is dog of a foreign extraction, was unknown to our ancestors. The Aquaticus, or Fynder, was another fpecies used in fowling; was the fame as our water spaniel; and was used to find or recover the game that was shot. The Melitæus, or Fotor; the fpaniel gentle or comforter of Dr. Caius (the modern lap dog) was the laft of this divifion. The Maltefe little dogs were as much efteemed by the fine ladies of past times, as thofe of Bologna are among the modern. Old Holling fhed is ridiculously fevere on the fair of his days, for their exceffive paffion for thefe little animals; which is fufficient to prove it was in his time a novelty. The fecond grand divifion of dogs comprehends the Ruftici; or thofe that were ufed in the country. The firft fpecies is the Paftoralis, or fhepherd's dog; which is the fame that is ufed at prefent, either in guarding our flocks, or in driving herds of cattle. This kind is fo well trained for thofe purposes, as to attend to every part of the herd be it ever fo large; confine them to the road, and force in every ftraggler without doing it the leaft injury. The next is the Villaticus, or Catenarius; the mastiff or band dog; a fpecies of great fize and strength, and a very loud Barker. Manwood fays, it derives its name from mafe thefefe, being fuppofed to frighten away robbers by its tremendous voice. Caius tells us that three of thefe were reckoned a match for a bear; and four for a lion: but from an experiment made in the tower by James the Firft, that noble quadruped was found an unequal match to only three. Two of the dogs were dif abled in the combat, but the third forced the lion to feek for fafety by flight. The English bull-dog feems to belong to this fpecies; and probably is the dog our author mentions under the title of Laniarius. Great-Britain was fo noted for its maftiffs, that the Roman emperors appointed an officer in this island with the title of Procurator Cynegii, whofe fole business was to breed, and tranfmit from hence to the amphitheatre, fuch as would prove equal to the combats of the place, Magnaque taurorum fracturi colla Britanni. Gratius fpeaks in high terms of the excellency of the British dogs, Atque ipfos libeat penetrare Britannos? O quanta eft merces et quantum impendia fupra! Si non ad fpeciem mentiturofque decores Protinus: hæc una eft catulis jactura Britannis. At magnum cum venit opus, promendaque virtas, Et vocat extremo præceps difcrimine Mavors, Non tunc egregios tantum admirere Molotfos. How much beyond the coft the valued ftore; If Britain's distant coaft we dare explore, If fhape and beauty not alone we prize, Which nature to the British hound denies: But when the mighty toil the huntfman warms, And all the foul is rous'd by fierce alarms, Even bold Moloflians then to thefe muft yield. When Mars calls furious to th' enfanguin'd field, Strabo tells us, that the maftiffs of Britain were trained for war, and were used by the Gauls in their battles; and it is certain a well-trained maftiff might be of confiderable ufe in diftreffing fuch halfarmed and irregular combatants as the adverfaries of the Gauls feem generally to have been before the Romans conquered them. The laft divifion is that of the Degeneres, or Curs. The first of these was the Wappe, a name derived from its note: its only ufe was to alarm the family by barking, if any perfon approached the house. Of this clafs was the Verfator, or turnipit; and lastly the Saltator, or dancing dog, cr fuch as was taught variety of tricks, and carried about by idle people as a fhew. Thofe Degeneres were of no certain fhape, being mongrels or mixtures of all kinds of dogs. We fhould now, according to our plan, after enumerating the feveral varieties of British dogs, give its general natural hiftory; but fince Linnæus has already performed it to our hand, we fhall adopt his fenfe, tranflating his very words (wherever we may) with literal exactnefs. "The dog cats flesh, and farinaceous vegetables, but not greens: its ftomach digefts bones: it ufes the tops of grafs 66 as a vomit. It voids its excrements on a stone: the album græcum is one of the "greatest encouragers of putrefaction. It laps up its drink with its tongue; it "voids its urine fideways, by lifting up "one of its hind legs; and is most diuretic "in the company of a strange dog. Odo"rat anum alterius: its fcent is moft exquifite, when its nofe is moist: it treads lightly on its toes; fcarce ever fweats; "but when hot lolls out its tongue. It "generally walks frequently round the " place place it intends to lie down on its fenfe of hearing is very quick when afleep: it dreams. Procis rixantibus crudelis: catulit cum variis: mordet illa illos: co hæret copula junctus: it goes with young fixty-three days; and commonly brings from four to eight at a time: the male puppies refemble the dog, the female the bitch. It is the mott faithful of all animals: is very docible: hates ftrange dogs will fnap at a ftone thrown at it: << will howl at certain mufical notes: all "(except the South American kind) will bark at ftrangers: dogs are rejected by the Mahometans." § 5. The WILD CAT. This animal does not differ fpecifically from the tame cat; the latter being originally of the fame kind, but altered in colour, and in fome other trifling accidents, as are common to animals reclaimed from the woods and domefticated. The cat in its favage ftate is three or four times as large as the houfe-cat; the head larger, and the face flatter. The teeth and claws tremendous: its mufcles very ftrong, as being formed for rapine: the tail is of a moderate length, but very thick, marked with alternate bars of black and white, the end always black: the hips and hind part of the lower joints of the leg, are always black: the fur is very foft and fine. The general colour of thefe animals is of a yellowish white, mixed with a deep grey: thefe colours, though they appear at firft fight confufedly blended together, yet on a clofe infpection will be found to be difpofed like the ftreaks on the fkin of the tiger, pointing from the back downwards, rifing from a black lift that runs from the head along the middle of the back to the tail, This animal may be called the British tiger; it is the fierceft, and moft deftructive beaft we have; making dreadful havock among our poultry, lambs, and kids. It inhabits the most mountainous and woody Parts of these islands, living moftly in trees, and feeding only by night. It multiplies as faft as our common cats; and often the females of the latter will quit their domeftic mates, and return home pregnant by the former. They are taken either in traps, or by fhooting in the latter cafe it is very dangerous only to wound them, for they will attack the perfon who injured them, and have ftrength enough to be no despicable X enemy. Wild cats were formerly reckoned among the beafts of chace; as appears by the charter of Richard the Second, to the abbot of Peterborough, giving him leave to hunt the hare, fox, and wild cat. The ufe of the fur was in lining of robes; but it was efteemed not of the most luxurious kind; for it was ordained that no abbefs or nun fhould ufe more coftly apparel than fuch as is made of lambs or cats fkins.' In much earlier times it was alfo the object of the sportsman's di verfion. Felemque minacem § 6. The DOMESTIC CAT. This animal is fo well known as to make a defcription of it unneceflary. It is an ufeful, but deceitful domeftic; active, neat, fedate, intent on its prey. When pleafed purrs and moves its tail; when angry fpits, hiffes, and frikes with its foot. When walking, it draws in its claws: it drinks little: is fond of fith: it washes its face with its fore-foot, (Linnæus fays at the approach of a ftorm :) the female is remarkably falacious; a piteous, fqualling, jarring lover. Its eyes fhine in the night: its hair when rubbed in the dark emits fire: it is even proverbially tenacious of life: always lights on its feet: is fond of perfumes, marum, cat-mint, valerian, &c. Our ancestors feem to have had a high fenfe of the utility of this animal. That excellent prince Hoel dda, or Howel the Good, did not think it beneath him (among his laws relating to the prices, &c. of animals) to include that of the cat; and to defcribe the qualities it ought to have. The price of a kitling before it could fee, was to be a penny; till it caught a moufe two-pence; when it commenced moufer four-pence. It was required befides, that it should be perfect in its fenfes of hearing and feeing, be a good moufer, have the claws whole, and be a good nurfe: but if it failed in any of thefe qualities, the feller was to forfeit to the buyer the third part of its value. If any one stole or killed the cat that guarded the prince's granary, he was to forfeit a milch ewe, its fleece and lamb; or as much wheat as when poured on the cat fufpended by its tail (the head touching the floor) would form a heap high enough to cover the tip of the former. This laft quotation is not only curious, as being an evidence of the fimplicity fimplicity of ancient manners, but it almost proves to a demonstration that cats are not aborigines of these islands; or known to the earliest inhabitants. The large prices fet on them, (if we confi der the high value of fpecie at that time) and the great care taken of the improvement and breed of an animal that multiplies fo faft, are almoft certain proofs of their being little known at that period. § 7. EXPLANATION of fome TECHNICAL TERMS in ORNITHOLOGY. Fig. 1. Cere. Cera 2. Capiftrum 3. Lorum 4. Orbits. Orbita 5. Emarginatum 6. Vibriffa 7. Baftard wing. Alula fpuria 8. Leffer coverts of the wings. Tectrices primæ 9. Greater coverts. Tectrices fecunda 10. Quill-feathers. The naked skin that covers the base of the bill in the Hawk kind. A word used by Linnæus to exprefs the fhort feathers on the forehead just above the bill. In Crows these fall forwards over the noftrils. The space between the bill and the eye, generally covered with feathers, but in fome birds naked, as in the black and white Grebe. The skin that furrounds the eye, which is generally bare, particularly in the Heron and Parrot. A bill is called roftrum emarginatum when there is a small notch near the end: this is confpicuous in that of Butcherbirds and Thrushes. Vibrilla pectinata, ftiff hairs that grow on each fide the mouth, formed like a double comb, to be feen in the Geat= fucker, Flycatcher, &c. A fmall joint rifing at 'the end of the middle part of the wing, or the cubitus; on which are three or five feathers. The fmall feathers that lie in feveral rows on the bones of the wings. The under coverts are those that line the infide of the wings. The feathers that lie immediately over the quill-feathers and fecondary feathers. The largest feathers of the wings, or those that rise from the first bone. ( Those that rife from the fecond. Those that cover the base of the tail. Those that lie from the vent to the tail. Criffum Linnai. Rearices 15. Scapular feathers 16. Nucha 17. Roftrum fubulatum 18. That rife from the fhoulders, and cover the fides of the back. The hind part of the head. A term Linnæus uses for a ftrait and slender bill. ing feet. Climb. Such as thofe of the Grebes, &c. Such as are indented are called scalloped; such are thofe of Coots and scallop-toed Sandpipers. Such as want the back toe. When the webs only reach half way of the toes. When the hind claw adheres to the leg without any toe, 28 in the Petrels. All the four toes connected by webs, as in the Corverants, EXPLANATION |