226 



except the nobility whicii necessarily 

 comes from education. The tail always 

 droops, never curling upwards as in the 

 domestic dogs, and even when tamed 

 they rarely wag the tail. Among the 

 wolves may be mentioned the jackals of 

 Asia, which are said to have entered 

 largely into the breeds of oriental dogs. 

 These were known to the ancients as 

 "goldwolves,"andare said to be the foxes 

 whose tails Samson set on fire in order 

 to burn the fields and vineyards of the 

 Philistines. The Indian wild dog, or 

 "Kolsun" is claimed by many to be the 

 progenitor of alll domesticated dogs. He 

 closely resembles a greyhound, and is 

 found all over the Himalaya and East In- 

 dia country. He exhibits many traits 

 characteristic of our hunting dogs. 



Prominent among several distinctive 

 and familiar breeds of dogs is the Grey- 

 hound, which while graceful and univer- 

 sally popular as a pet, and a sporting dog, 

 is unfaithful and unsympathetic. The 

 great lung capacity gives the animal un- 

 usual endurance, but while possessed of 

 keen sight and hearing, the sense of smell 

 is very deficient. The Mastififs constitute 

 another group embracing many of the fa- 

 miliar forms. Among these are the Dan- 

 ish dog, the German Mastififs, the Bulldog 

 and the Pug. With the exception of the 

 Pug, which is justly called a caricature of 

 a dog, the group is remarkable for fidel- 

 ity, courage, determination and strength. 

 Great Britain is the home of the Hounds 

 which, because of their intelligence and 

 docility, are considered to be in the first 

 rank of domestic dogs. All the varieties 

 of this group are born hunters, being 

 strong, swift and possessed of unusually 



keen senses, especially that of smell. 

 Among these are the Pointers, the Ger- 

 man Bloodhounds, the Staghounds, the 

 Beagles, and the Foxhound. This last is 

 justly considered the greatest of hunting 

 dogs, possessing the speed of the grey- 

 hound, the courage of the bulldog, the 

 delicate scent of the bloodhound and the 

 sagacity of the poodle, he is well equipped 

 for his duties in field and forest. 



Probably no two dogs have so en- 

 deared themselves to mankind as the St. 

 Bernard and the Newfoundland. Both 

 of these, together with the Spaniels, Set- 

 ters and the sagacious Poodles make up 

 the Spaniel group. While as a class they 

 are not remarkable for docility or endur- 

 ance, these defects are more than com- 

 pensated by a superior intelligence, fidel- 

 ity, courage, keen scent and great speed. 

 Much has been written about the quali- 

 ties of the Newfoundlands and St. Ber- 

 nards. The first are said to be the best 

 of all water dogs, possessed of great 

 beauty and an exceptional fund of good 

 nature, gentleness and gratitude. The 

 heroic deeds of the others are inseparably 

 linked with their native home, the 

 Hospice of St. Bernard. The intelli- 

 gence and courage exhibited by these 

 dogs among the avalanches and frozen 

 wastes of their mountain homes have 

 given them a place in history and earned 

 for them the title of "The worthiest of 

 them all." 



The Setter, which is illustrated in this 

 article, is an excellent type of a certain 

 class of the Spaniels. The animal is an 

 excellent hunting dog and gains its name 

 from its habit of crouching close to the 

 ground when pointing game. 



Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas to-night! 

 Christmas in lands of the fir-tree and pine, 

 Christmas in lands of the palm-tree and vine. 

 Christmas where snow-peaks stand solemn and white, 

 Christmas where corn-fields lie sunny and bright, 

 Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas to-night ! 



—Phillips Brooks, "A Christmas Carol." 



