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Mammiferous Animals. — A Dog that fed on the Oats 

 supplied to a Horse, — In Vol. V. p. 714<. are instances of 

 " eccentricity of -appetite in a horse and dog/' In the month 

 of May, 1832, I saw a very remarkable instance of the same 

 kind ; but in this case the eccentricity was confined to the 

 dog. I accompanied a friend, a barrister, to his stable. The 

 first object which presented itself was, a pointer dog, seated 

 on the back of a mare; the face of the dog to the rump of 

 the mare. When in the stable together, this is the constant 

 position of these animals. The barrister took some oats, put 

 them into the manger, and pointed them out to the dog, upon 

 which, it sprang from its position, into the monger, and 

 instantly commenced eating the oats, which it continued to 

 do till the whole were consumed. When horses eat oats, 

 they make a rubbing noise, as though they are grinding the 

 oats; this dog did not do so, but made a cracking noise, and 

 the splitting of the oats was very distinctly heard. Although 

 this horse, when eating, would not suffer the approach of any 

 person, yet it treated its canine companion with great kindness. 

 — J. M. Houghton le Steane> County of Durham, Dec. 15. 1 832. 



This case is well worth recording, and we thank our cor- 

 respondent for communicating it; but it strikes us as being 

 iess remarkable than the case of the pointer feeding on heath 

 mould, described in Vol. V. p. 714., because, in the meal and 

 husk of the oats, there is a much nearer approach to oatmeal, 

 barley meal, bran, and pollard, on one or more of which dogs 

 are usually, in good part, fed. I have known a bitch lapdog 

 very expert at cracking Barcelona nuts, and eating the kernels. 

 When the nut was given her, she would crack it, and let the 

 nut fall upon the carpet, and then, with her chin, rub aside 

 the broken shell, and, when she had got the kernel clear, take 

 it up, chew, and swallow it. Dogs (I can speak to three or 

 four) are rather partial to ripe gooseberries, when they can 

 gather them off the bushes for themselves; and, I have, in 

 days past, more than once, had pleasure, in the company of 

 a favourite and most remarkable dog of my father's, which, 

 in fruit-eating strolls among the gooseberry bushes, would 

 accompany me, and help himself at the bottom of the bushes, 

 while I partook, as more convenient, of the berries towards the 

 top. I must pay my Toby, for such was his name, the com- 



