118 SPECIAL EXPRESSIONS: Chap. V. 



we see the last vestige of these movements in a slight wag 

 of the tail, without any other movement of the body, and 

 without even the ears being lowered. Dogs also exhibit 

 their affection by desiring to rub against their masters, 

 and to be rubbed or patted by them. 



Gratiolet explains the above gestures of affection in 

 the following manner: and the reader can judge whether 

 the explanation appears satisfactor}^. Speaking of ani- 

 mals in general, including the dog, he says, 2 " C'est tou- 

 jours la partie la plus sensible de leurs corps qui re- 

 cherche les caresses ou les donne. Lorsque toute la 

 longueur des flancs et du corps est sensible, l'animal ser- 

 pente et rampe sous les caresses; et ces ondulations se 

 propageant le long des muscles analogues des segments 

 jusqu'aux extremites de la colonne vertebrale, la queue 

 se ploie et s'agite." Further on, he adds, that dogs, when 

 feeling affectionate, lower their ears in order to exclude 

 all sounds, so that their whole attention may be concen- 

 trated on the caresses of their master! 



Dogs have another and striking wav of exhibiting 

 their affection, namely, by licking the hands or faces of 

 their masters. They sometimes lick other dogs, and 

 then it is always their chops. I have also seen dogs lick- 

 ing cats with whom they were friends. This habit prob- 

 ably originated in the females carefully licking their 

 puppies — the dearest object of their love — for the sake 

 of cleansing them. They also often give their puppies, 

 after a short absence, a few cursory licks, apparently 

 from affection. Thus the habit will have become asso- 

 ciated with the emotion of love, however it may after- 

 wards be aroused. It is now so firmly inherited or in- 

 nate, that it is transmitted equally to both sexes. A 

 female terrier of mine lately had her puppies destroyed, 



2 ( 



De la Physionomie,' 1865, pp. 187, 218. 



