36 HOME LIFE ON AN OSTRICH FARM. 



And now, though the transition seems rather an 

 abrupt one from savage beasts to the sweetest and 

 gentlest of domestic pets, our dear old dog Toto 

 deserves a little notice. We brought him from 

 EnMand with us — he is a doof of Kent, beinsr a native 

 of the Weald — and when put on board the steamer 

 at Southampton he was not many months old. He 

 still had the blunt nose and thick paws of puppyhood ; 

 also its mischievous little needle-like teeth, with which 

 he ate off the straps of our portmanteaus, and, when 

 allowed an occasional run on deck, did considerable 

 damage to the Madeira chairs of the passengers. 

 Fortunately he was so general a favourite that his 

 iniquities were overlooked. The children on board 

 were especially fond of him, and would often petition 

 for him to be let loose, to join in their games. He 

 seemed to grow up during the voyage — possibly the 

 sea air hastened his development — and he had almost 

 attained full size and perfect proportions by the time 

 we landed in Cape Town ; he, poor fellow, being in 

 such wild delio^ht at findinof himself aofain on terra 

 firma and released from the narrowness of ship life, 

 that he was quite mad with excitement, jumping and 

 dragging at his chain, and knocking us nearly off our 

 legs, besides involving us and himself in numerous 

 entanojlements with the leirs of others. We had to 

 be perpetually apologizing for his conduct, and really 

 felt quite ashamed of him. 



He is a large black-and-tan collie ; with a soft glossy 

 coat, a big black feather of a tail, and the most superb 



