Having considered the chief _bonâ fide_ varieties of the Dog, we come, lastly, to those nondescript animals, the _Pariahs_, or domesticated Dogs run wild, which occur in packs in many parts of Eastern Europe and of Asia. These herds of miserable, half-starved animals are undoubtedly not true wild Dogs, but degenerated tame ones, the Dog being derived from a wild ancestor, under certain circumstances shows his descent by reverting to the habits of his forbears. Instances of this occur occasionally in the case of even the better breeds of Dogs. For instance: “A black Greyhound Bitch, belonging to a gentleman in Scarisbrick, in Lancashire, though she had apparently been well broken-in and always well used, ran away from the habitation of her master, and betook herself to the woods. She killed a great many Hares and made free with the Sheep, and became an intolerable nuisance to the neighbourhood. She was occasionally seen, and the depredations that were committed were brought home to her. Many were the attempts made to entrap or destroy her, but in vain; for more than six months she eluded the vigilance of her pursuers. At length she was observed to creep into a hole in an old barn. She was caught as she came out, and the barn being searched three whelps were found, which, very foolishly, were destroyed. The Bitch evinced the utmost ferocity, and, although well secured, attempted to seize every one who approached her. She was, however, dragged home, and treated with kindness. By degrees her ferocity abated. In the course of two months she became perfectly reconciled to her original abode, and a twelvemonth afterwards (1822), she ran successfully several courses. There was still a degree of wildness in her appearance; but although at perfect liberty, she seemed to be altogether reconciled to a domestic life.” Captain Williamson 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.”