RUKAL SCIIUOL Ll£Al-LliT. - 87I 



side New York State will you let us know whether you care to receive 

 the Leaflets next year so that we may know whether it is worth while 

 to have extra copies printed to sell? 



Important. — Remember that the Rural School Leaflet is not issued until 

 the fifteenth of each month. If it does not reach you by the twentieth let iis 

 know. The supply of October and November Leaflets for Boys and Girls has 

 been exhausted. 



NATURE STUDY SYLLABUS 



DOGS 



AXXA BOTSFORD COMSTOCK 



Since in a state of nature dogs run down their prey, 

 it is to be expected that they be equipped with legs 

 that are long, strong, and muscular. The cat, which 

 jumps for her prey, has much more delicate legs but 

 has powerful 'hips to enable her to leap. The dog's 

 feet are much more heavily padded than those of the 

 cat, because in running he must not stop to save his 

 feet. Hounds often return from a chase with bleeding 

 feet, despite the heavy pads, but the wounds are usually cuts between 

 the toes. The claws arc heavy and are not retractile; thus they afford 

 a protection to the feet when running and they are used also for digging 

 out game which bm^rows into the ground. They are not used for grasp- 

 ing game, as are those of the cat, and are used only incidentally in fighting, 

 while the cat's claws are the most important weapons in her armory. 

 It is an interesting fact that Newfoundland dogs which are such famous 

 swimmers have their toes somewhat webbed. 



The dog's body is long, lean, and very muscular, a fat dog being usually 

 pampered and old. The coat is of hair and is not of fine fur like that of 

 the cat. It is of interest to note that the Newfoundland dog has an inner 

 coat of fine hair comparable to that of the mink or muskrat. When 

 a dog is running his body is extended to its fullest length; in fact, it 

 seems to " lie flat," the outstretched legs heightening the effect of ex- 

 treme muscular effort of forward movement. A dog is master of several 

 gaits; he can run, walk, trot, bound, and crawl. 



The iris of the dog's eye is usually of a beautiful brown, although this 

 varies with breeds; in puppies the iris is usually blue. The pupil is 

 round, like our own, and is not arranged with a slit, like that of the cat and, 

 therefore, dogs cannot see well in the dark; but in daylight they have 

 keen sight. The nose is so much more efficient than the eyes that it is on 

 the sense of smell that the dog depends for following its prey and for 



