WILD LIFE OF ORCHARD AND FIELD 



In the cases of horses, dogs, and cats the ex- 

 planation may be more difficult, and not always 

 possible to arrive at. Horses and mules are ex- 

 tremely observant animals, and quick to remember 

 places; everybody who has ever had anything to 

 do with them must know this. Their recollection 

 is astonishing. The Rev. J. G. Wood tells of a 

 horse which knew its old master after sixteen years, 

 though he had grown from a boy to a man, and 

 was, of course, much changed in both voice and 

 appearance. It is probable that, where horses come 

 back, they do so mainly by sight and memory. 



As for dogs, they not only can see well, but they 

 have the additional help of their intelligent noses. 

 The proficiency to which some breeds of dogs have 

 brought their smelling powers — the precision with 

 which they will analyze and detect different scents 

 — is surprising. I have lately seen trustworthy ac- 

 counts of two hunting-dogs, one of which pointed 

 a partridge on the farther side of a stone wall, much 

 to the surprise of his master, who thought his dog 

 was an idiot; and the other similarly indicated a 

 bird sitting in the midst of a decaying carcass, the 

 effluvium of which was disgustingly strong, yet 

 not sufficiently so to disguise the scent of the bird 

 to the dog's delicate nostrils. Fox -hounds will 



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