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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



He says : " When a dog approaches a strange dog or man in a sav- 

 age or hostile frame of mind, he walks upright and very stiffly ; his 

 head is slightly raised, or not much lowered ; the tail is held erect and 

 quite rigid ; the hairs bristle, especially along the neck and back ; the 

 pricked ears are directed forward, and the eyes have a fixed stare. 

 (See Figs. 1 and 3.) These actions, as will hereafter be explained, fol- 

 low from the dog's intention to attack his enemy, and are thus to a 

 large extent intelligible. As he prepares to spring with a savage 

 growl on his enemy, the canine teeth are uncovered, and the ears are 

 pressed close backward on the head ; but with these latter actions we 

 are not here concerned. Let us now suppose that the dog suddenly 



Fig. 3. 



Half-bred Shepherd Dog in the same State as in Fig. 1. (By Mr. A. May.) 



discovers that the man whom he is approaching is not a stranger, but 

 his master; and let it be observed how completely and instantaneously 

 his whole bearing is reversed. Instead of walking upright, the body 

 sinks downward or even crouches, and is thrown into flexuous move- 

 ments : his tail, instead of being held stiff and upright, is lowered and 

 wagged from side to side ; his hair instantly becomes smooth ; his ears 

 are depressed and drawn backward, but not closely to the head ; and 

 his lips hang loosely. From the drawing back of the ears, the eyelids 

 become elongated, and the eyes no longer appear round and staring. 

 It should be added that the animal is at such times in an excited con- 



