Natural History, General and Particular (Volume 4)

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1785. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... land, Greenland, and all countries where the cold is excessive, produce only dwarfish and ugly men. But, in the neighbouring and less rigorous regions of Finland, Denmark, 8cc. the most beautiful race suddenly appears; for, in figure, colour, and stature, they are perhaps the handsomest of the human kind. The same phaenomenon is exhibited in the dog-species. The Lapland dogs are very ugly, and so small, that they exceed not a foot in length*. Those of Siberia, though less ugly, have erect ears, and a savage aspect: But, in the neighbouring climate, where we meet with the handsome men already mentioned f, we find also the most beautiful and largest dogs. The dogs of Tartary, of Albania, of the north of Greece, of Denmark, and of Ireland, are the largest and strongest of the species, and are used for drawing carriages. The Irish grey-hounds are of a very ancient race, and still exist, though their number is small, in their original climate. They were called by the ancients dogs of Epirus, and Albanian dogs. Pliny has recorded, in most elegant and energetic terms, a combat between one of these dogs, first with a lion, and then with an elephant 1. 1 hey are much * II Genio vagante, vol. 2. p. 13., f See vol. 3. art. Varieties of the human species. % Indiam petenti Alejandro magno, Rex Albaniae dono dederat inusitatae magnitudinis unum, cujus specie delectatus, juffit ursos, mox apros, et deinde damas emitti, contemptu imxnobili jacenti eo; qua segnitie tanti corporis offensus Impelator generosi ipiritus, cum intcrimi juffi. Nunciavit hoc fama much larger than the mastiff. In France, they are so rare, that I never saw above one of them, which appeared, when sitting, to be about five feet high, and resembled in figure the Daniih dog*; but greatly exceeded him in stature. ...