Their voice is not a
proper barking, but a howl like that of the wolf, and they partly
descend from wolves, which approach the Indian huts, even in the
daytime, and mix with the dogs" (cf. p. 203 et al.). Writing at the
Mandan village, he says, "The Mandans and Manitaries have not, by
any means, so many dogs as the Assiniboin, Crows, and Blackfeet.
They are rarely of true wolf color, but generally black or white, or
else resemble the wolf, but here they are more like the prairie wolf
(_Canis latrans_). We likewise found among these animals a brown
race, descended from European pointers; hence the genuine bark of
the dog is more frequently heard here, whereas among the western
nations they only howl. The Indian dogs are worked very hard, have
hard blows and hard fare; in fact, they are treated just as this
fine animal is treated among the Esquimaux" (p. 345).
28 "Letters and Notes," etc, vol. I, p. 14; of. p. 230 et al. He speaks
(p. 201) of the Minitari canines as "semiloup dogs and whelps."
29 Keating's "Narrative," op. cit., vol. II, p. 452; James' "Account,"
op. cit., vol. I, p.127 et al.
30 According to Prince Maximilian, both the Mandan and Minitari kept
owls in their lodges and regarded them as soothsayers ("Travels,"
op. cit., pp. 383, 403), and the eagle was apparently tolerated for
the sake of his feathers.
31 "Cassa Tate, the antient tomahawk" on the plate illustrating the
objects ("Travels," op.
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