Prick-Eared

Recently, an erroneous comment was made. See, last week, I accounted a quote about Icelandic Sheepdogs imported into the British Empire in the 18th or 19th century, my mistake; however the account I was referring to was this:

In 1650, Sir Thomas Brown wrote: “To England there are sometimes exported from Iceland… a type of dog resembling a fox…. Shepherds in England are eager to acquire them!”

One can find this quote on any website detailing about Icelandic Sheepdogs. Problem is: no one actually fact-checked! Not only the year is wrong and the author’s surname mispelled, people were creative in their interpretations and translations.

The original account came from a correspondence dated in 1663:

Beside shocks and little hairy dogs, they bring another sort over, headed like a fox, which they say are bred betwixt dogs and foxes; these are desired by the shepherds of this country.

For those who wishes to read the letter in its entirety, taken from The Works of Sir Thomas Browne:

Great store of drift-wood, or float-wood, is every year cast up on their shores, brought down by the northern winds, which serveth them for fuel and other uses, the greatest part whereof is fir.

Of bears there are none in the country, but sometimes they are brought down from the north upon ice, while they follow seals, and so are carried away. Two in this manner came over and landed in the north of Island, this last year, 1662.

No conies or hares, but of foxes great plenty, whose white skins are much desired, and brought over into this country.

The last winter, 1662, so cold and lasting with us in England, was the mildest they have had for many years in Island.

Two new eruptions, with slime and smoke, were observed the last year in some mountains about Mount Hecla.

Some hot mineral springs they have, and very effectual, but they make but rude use thereof.

The rivers are large, swift, and rapid, but have many falls, which render them less commodious; they chiefly abound with salmons.

They sow no corn, but receive it from abroad.

They have a kind of large lichen, which dried, becometh hard and sticky, growing very plentifully in many places; whereof they make use for food, either in decoction or powder, some whereof I have by me, different from any with us.

In one part of the country, and not near the sea, there is a large black rock, which, polished, resembleth touchstone, as I have seen in pieces thereof, of various figures.

There is also a rock, whereof I received one fragment, which seems to make it one kind of pisolithes or rather orobites, as made up of small pebbles, in the bigness and shape of the seeds of ervum or orobus.

They have some large well-grained white pebbles, and some kind of white cornelian or agath pebbles, on the shore, which polish well. Old Sir Edmund Bacon, of these parts, made use thereof in his peculiar art of tinging and colouring of stones.

Eor shells found on the sea shore, such as have been brought unto me are but coarse, nor of many kinds, as ordinary turbines, chamas, aspers, laeves, &c.

I have received divers kinds of teeth and bones of cetaceous fishes, unto which they could assign no name.

An exceeding fine russet down is sometimes brought unto us, which their great number of fowls afford, and sometimes store of feathers, consisting of the feathers of small birds.

Beside shocks and little hairy dogs, they bring another sort over, headed like a fox, which they say are bred betwixt dogs and foxes; these are desired by the shepherds of this country.

Green plovers, which are plentiful here in the winter, are found to breed there in the beginning of summer.

Some sheep have been brought over, but of coarse wool, and some horses of mean stature, but strong and hardy; one whereof, kept in the pastures by Yarmouth, in the summer, would often take the sea, swimming a great way, a mile or two, and return the same : when its provision failed in the ship wherein it was brought, for many days fed upon hoops and cask ; nor at the land would, for many months, be brought to feed upon oats.

These accounts I received from a native of Island, who comes yearly into England; and by reason of my long acquaintance and directions I send unto some of his friends against the elephantiasis (leprosy), constantly visits me before his return; and is ready to perform for me what I shall desire in his country; wherein, as in other ways, I shall be very ambitious to serve the noble society, whose most honouring servant I am.

Thomas Browne. ]

Norwich, January 15, 1663.

While the breedist tripe is not entirely off-base since Thomas discussed in details about the trade relations between Iceland and England, nevertheless it is crucial to cite properly; otherwise, there is no credibility. Whither or not the Icelandic Sheepdog is the ancestor of the collie landrace on the British Isles is entirely up to the researcher, however deceptions must be dispelled and the ambiguous cleared.

With this blunder amended, it’s time to go back to regular programming!